Hogwarts Resident Vampire Redone
by TearsofBlack101
Summary: This story existed for awhile before now, but I was going through some files in my computer and realized that it just wasn't very clear, so I decided to take it on and redo it! This story is all about a new girl at Hogwarts and her special predicament.
1. Chapter 1

"You're a witch, Danielle." The strange tiny old man said mysteriously.

Danielle blinked, "W…what?" she stuttered. The tiny man smiled happily at her reaction. He'd come to her house and told her parents that he wanted a moment alone with her. That was odd enough, but now he was going to tell her something like that?

"I know I have a… a _temper_, but… a witch?" Danielle said hastily, "Isn't that a little… mean?"

The tiny man shook his head, and nearly made his hat fall off of his head. Danielle had been wondering about that, too. What in the world was he _wearing?_He seemed to be wearing a layered dress of some sort, and he seemed perfectly comfortable with it!

"No, no. That's not what I meant." He said quickly, "You are a _literal_witch."

Danielle squinted slightly, "What are you _talking_about?" she snapped.

The tiny man's eyes lit up at that question. It was as if he'd waited his whole life to be asked it. "I teach at a school called Hogwarts. It's a school… for witches and wizards."

She raised an eyebrow, "Um… a school?" she repeated sarcastically. Sure, there'd been some strange occurrences, and some things that she could have called magic, but be real! Back in the day, fire was magic. She just didn't believe it.

He reached into his pocket, and pulled out a long, smooth stick.

"This is a wand." The tiny man mysteriously. Danielle snorted. "I thought you would say that." Danielle decided not to point out that she hadn't _said_anything.

He waved his wand at the air, and a shining silver tea set appeared.

Danielle blinked.

"Tea?" he offered. She shook her head vigorously. She didn't want anything to do with a drink that had just come out of nowhere. He poured himself a small cup of his own, then continued.

"It seems that the letter extending your invitation didn't make it to you." He said almost gravely. "The professors assumed that you'd decided to go somewhere else, and when we learned that you hadn't gone anywhere!" he let out a short breath in exasperation.

"Why do I need to go to some school?" Daniel asked impolitely.

The tiny man smiled, "You will learn to hone your magical skills. You will be able to control your magic, and become more and more powerful. Lately, your magic has been running wild, and that's how we learned that you were out of control."

Danielle frowned, "How could you tell that?"

"We could sense your magic, especially when you were angry or scared. You're actually quite powerful." The tiny man said cheerfully.

Danielle took a breath as the tiny man refilled his tea cup magically, and conjured a cookie. "This isn't a joke… is it?" she asked, already knowing the answer.

"Heavens, no!" the tiny man exclaimed, almost dropping his cookie. "We're inviting you to join our seventh years."

She blinked slowly, and took another breath, trying to keep control. "If I wasn't there for the first six years…How will I keep up?"

"Ah!" the tiny man exclaimed happily, "There is an experimental process that will transfer the information to your mind!"

"Experimental?" Danielle repeated nervously.

"We don't use it often, but considering the situation…" the tiny man trailed off.

"I don't suppose you've been informed about my other...problem," Dani said slowly.

The tiny man interrupted her. "Don't say another word about it. I see no reason, and moreover, the Headmaster sees no reason for you to stay away from school because of your…problem." He said, mirroring her use of the word to describe her situation.

"Okay, let's go!" Danielle said happily, "I'm ready, let's go to Hogwarts!"

The tiny man beamed, "I'm so glad you're excited, as the first day of school is tomorrow!" Danielle nodded, "We'll go and get your school supplies in a few minutes, then perform the process, and give you the night to feel better. I'll take you to the station tomorrow."

"Wait!" Danielle gasped as the thought occurred to her. "What do I tell my friends?"

The tiny man frowned slightly, "You could tell them that you're going to boarding school. Which you are. Just don't specify that it is a magical boarding school."

"Boarding school?" Danielle repeated, confused. He hadn't mentioned that before, had he?

"Of course!" The tiny man exclaimed, "You will be engulfed in magic, and it will become embedded into your very mind."

"Boarding school…" Danielle repeated.

The tiny man gave her a moment to think, and sipped his tea quietly. On one hand, he was asking her to leave her whole life behind. On the other, if this magic thing was really a problem, it should be dealt with immediately.

"All right…" Danielle said almost inaudibly. "I'll go."

The tiny man beamed "Wonderful! We must go get your school supplies, then perform the process."

Danielle's family had a fair amount of money on hand, much of which they gladly gave to her. So Danielle was quite cheerful as she made her way around England with the tiny man who'd now given her his name; Flitwick.

That evening, Flitwick stood in Danielle's living room and sent his knowledge into her brain. Daniel felt as if her whole life was happening all over again. The embarrassing. The sad. The everything. All over again, with all sorts of extra things that weren't exactly like memories, but were quite close. Things like how to make water boil with an incantation. Like how to levitate a cow. How to transfigure a mug into a cat. Things she couldn't imagine a use for, and things that seemed like she'd known them all along.

She fell to the ground as soon as it was over, and clutched her head in her hands. Flitwick didn't seem concerned. He calmly left the house, and told her that he'd be back to get her in the morning.

Danielle slept an obscene amount the night, from the time that he left until the time that he returned, she was asleep.

She quickly got ready to leave, took her new trunk full of school things, and the cat that she'd bought the night before, named Tori. She was just a kitten, but Danielle could tell that she was really something special. After all; she'd come from a magical store.

Flitwick escorted her to King's Cross Train Station via Fireplace, then left her alone with the knowledge of how to get to Platform 9¾.

Danielle nervously walked through the solid wall that revealed an entire platform, and boarded the train without speaking to anyone. She was quite outgoing by nature, and being so self-conscious was strange for her.

She sat down in an empty compartment, and played with her new kitten until a very good looking boy with long black hair strolled in.

He stumbled when he saw her, and blinked a few times before stuttering, "You're not a first year!"

Danielle smiled, "Lovely observational skills." She said sarcastically.

He stuck his head back out the door, and called something then stepped in and sat down in her compartment.

"What's your name?" he asked suavely, fully recovered from their less-than-smooth first meeting.

"Dani." She replied with a flirty smile. "What's yours?"

"Sirius." He said as if he thought that his name meant something. "Nice to meet you."

Her smile grew slightly. He seemed like he'd be fun to toy with. "Nice to meet you, too." she said, glancing up through her eyelashes.

Dani had dark brown, almost black hair, and dark blue eyes. She was rather pale, and curvy, but not overweight. Tall, but not too tall. She was very, _very_popular back in New York with both boys and girls. She loved to flirt, but wasn't into relationships. Loved romance, but preferred small, genuine gestures to large displays of affection. She could confidently flirt with Sirius, or anybody else, without wanting or expecting anything out of it. She loved fun!

Three other boys trooped into the compartment just then, and did the same double take that Sirius had when they saw the girl sitting inside.

"Uh…" a boy with hazel eyes and messy black hair said eloquently, "Uh…hi."

Dani smiled, "Hey," she said confidently. She already liked Sirius better. He wasn't as nervous.

A boy with sandy blonde hair rolled his light brown eyes at his friends, and shook her hand confidently. "I'm Remus. Are you new?"

"Dani. Yes, I am."

An ugly boy with watery brown eyes and limp blonde hair smiled, "Hi, I'm Peter!" he said over excitedly.

Dani was really nice to all of them, but she had no problem flirting with all of them. She teased them a little, but it was clear that she didn't mean it. They were becoming great friends by the time that Remus had to go to a Prefect meeting.

"Prefect?" Dani repeated as he left.

"Student police." Sirius said angrily.

Dani smiled, "Aww, did the 'student police' steal your cookie?" she asked sarcastically.

"They take away my fun!" Sirius exclaimed, "They report me when I do _anything_!"

She made a face, "What exactly did you _do_?"

James grinned, "Marauder secrets."

Dani rolled her eyes, "What is that, your little club?" she asked sarcastically.

Peter bristled at that. "Club? We're a group! We're brothers!"

"So… it's a gang?" Dani asked seriously.

"Sort of both." Sirius said with a sigh, "But we'll talk about that later. Right now, we need to discuss our Feast Prank."

Dani raised an eyebrow, but she was ignored while the boys pulled out notebooks, and planned.

A girl with long red hair, and dark green eyes opened the compartment door nervously, and peeked inside.

"Evans!" James shouted, "Fantastic to see you! You survived the summer without me? How?"

The girl rolled her eyes, and walked up to Dani.

"Hi, I'm Lily Evans. I've been assigned to show you around Hogwarts when we get there." She said happily.

Dani smiled, "I'm Dani Newton."

Lily made herself comfortable in the compartment, then noticed the kitten playing with Dani's shoelaces.

"Aww, she's so cute!" Lily cooed, "What's her name?"

Dani beamed proudly, "Tori." Lily lifted her, and cradled the kitten in her arms. Tori played with her hair, looking up innocently with enormous green eyes. She had large paws which were covered with long white fur. The rest of her was black. She was very fuzzy and very charming.

"Where are you from?" Lily asked, not catching a familiar accent.

"NYC," Dani said proudly. She loved the sound of her hometown. It was glamorous and rugged at the same time.

Lily looked confused, "Where?"

Dani raised an eyebrow, but refrained from asking the girl if she'd lived under a rock her whole life. "New York, New York? America?" she said stupidly.

"Oh!" Lily exclaimed, "I'm sorry, I didn't realize!"

Dani shrugged, "No worries." She was just surprised that the girl didn't know what she was talking about.

Remus stumbled back in, looking worn out.

He collapsed next to James, who was now sitting next to Lily, across from Dani, who was sitting next to Sirius. Peter was on Lily's other side.

He stuffed a chocolate frog in his mouth. "Hey, Lily." He said almost sadly.

"Hi!" She said happily.

"Uh… what is _that_?" Remus snapped, referring to Tori.

Dani rolled her eyes. She did _not_take kindly to people insulting her cat, even if she'd only had her for a day. "It's a cat, Remus." She said sharply.

"Where did it come from?" Remus asked rudely.

Sirius grinned, "Well, when One little kitty loves another little kitty _very_much, they-"

Remus threw his arms over his head, "OKAY!" he shouted, "That's not what I meant!"

"She's mine." Dani said defiantly.

"Is she?" Remus asked moodily.

Dani's lips tightened slightly, "May I just ask who peed in your corn flakes?" she exclaimed angrily.

Remus blinked, "What?" he snapped.

Sirius and James burst out laughing, and a minute later, Peter half-heartedly joined them. Lily added a short, nervous giggle, but Remus continued to stare embarrassedly at the floor.

"What did you just say?" Sirius gasped through his chortles.

Remus' glare quieted them almost instantly.

"Remus, what's wrong?" Dani asked, genuinely concerned now.

He took a quick look into her dark blue eyes, and could see that she was being honest. She wanted to know.

"Nothing." He said quietly.

Finally, Lily noticed something. Remus was nervous.

That boy was a lot of things, but nervous was rarely one of them. She shot Dani a look, who stood up, and invited Lily to go after the snack trolley, even though the boys had bought nearly everything available before, to give her a chance to experience them. Remus needed a minute with his best friends. The girls could both tell.

Dani took the time to get to know Lily. After all, if they were going to be spending a lot of time together, they might as well be friends.

She learned that Lily had a cat that she had to leave back home, that James had been after her since last March, that he was still failing, and that they had a lot in common. Both were muggle born, both had been introduced to Hogwarts by Flitwick, both loved fun, and both thought that the Marauders were almost adorable with their stupidity.

Yes, they had the potential to be very, very good friends.


	2. Chapter 2

A/N- Oh, shoot! I forgot to mention in the last chapter that I don't own anything!

"Dani!" Sirius shouted as the girls reentered, "Thank Merlin you're here!"

She smiled coyly, "Why, Sirius… did you miss me?"

Sirius blushed a tiny bit. James' eyes widened. Sirius generally abused girls but given the expression on his face, he liked Dani. For real.

Remus was feeling much better by now. He'd talked to his friends, and they'd helped him to calm down and stop jumping down innocent kitten-owners throats.

Sirius kept flirting mercilessly with Dani, who could dish it out as well as she could take it.

Over the trip to Hogwarts, Sirius began to realize how wonderful she was for him.

They could talk, and that was new. Normally, girls tripped all over themselves for Sirius. He was used to it. This girl surprised him. He loved to be surprised.

They arrived at school and sat through the feast uneventfully. The end, however, housed a brilliant prank a la Marauder.

I'll spare you the details, but the outcome was Severus Snape hanging by his greasy hair from a balcony.

Dani stormed away with Lily halfway through the spectacle.

She loved pranks, but that was an attack. A four-against-one ambush. And _that _was not okay in her eyes.

(*)*(*)*(*)*(*)*(*)

Late that night, Lily stomped around the girl's dormitory, ranting to Dani, who'd gotten over her anger as quickly as she always did.

"They do it all the time, then expect me to _like _them!" she exclaimed, frustrated.

Dani sighed lightly, "Lily, these things happen. You can't get angry with someone over who they are, or what they think is funny. They won't change."

"But they _should_!" Lily shouted.

"Agreed." Dani said, standing and taking one of Lily's hands. "But James isn't going to."

"That's why we can't be together." Lily muttered. Dani gave her a moment to think over what she'd just said before replying.

"No." Dani said quietly. "You can't be together because you don't trust him."

Lily looked, startled, up at Dani, who was almost two inches taller.

"What?" she asked quietly.

"You don't trust him." Dani repeated. "He's willing to do anything for you, but you see him pulling these pranks, and stop giving him a chance. You tell him they're stupid, but don't tell him _why_."

"How can you know that?" Lily asked, almost upset that Dani knew her so well. Was she that transparent?

"I had a best friend like you," Dani said quietly, "It didn't really work out, but she had similar problems." Dani sighed lightly, trying not to remember why they'd had to stop being friends...

"But you agree that they take it too far," Lily inquired, interrupting her train of thought.

Dani smiled, "Yes. But there's nothing we can do about that. Instead, we'll toy with them and have our own fun."

Lily smiled, "That's a wonderful idea." There was a quiet pause, then: "How?"

Dani bit her lower lip lightly, then her smile broadened. "I've got an idea."

(*)*(*)*(*)*(*)

Dani learned that with the 'experiment', she was a bit ahead of Hogwarts as far as wizarding knowledge went.

She's been a bit worried that she wouldn't fit in at this new school, but she was pleased to find that her popularity flourished as she continued just being herself. Unfortunately, 'herself' was impatient, and having troubles distracting herself enough to wait for Hogsmead, which was supposed to be an amazing village that was completely wizard-inhabited. Lily had told her all about it, and Dani was so intrigued that she absolutely could not wait to visit. Lily helped Dani distract herself from her curiosity, but it still seemed like forever until finally, it was Saturday. The day that the students could go to Hogsmeade!

Dani helped Lily get ready that morning. In Lily's trunk, she found a solitary pair of jeans, and a dark green tank top. They discovered that they had the same size shoes, so Dani was able to lend her a pair of strappy sandals. Dani made a mental note to keep an eye out for a clothes store in Hogsmeade.

For herself, Dani pulled on a pair of ripped up, low-cut jeans, and a black short sleeved t-shirt that showed a thin strip of her flat stomach. Luckily, she'd thought to bring a pair of jeweled flip-flops. She put those on, then did her and Lily's makeup.

Lily was not accustomed to caring how she looked. She usually just pulled her hair into a ponytail and left the rest of her appearance alone. But she was willing to try something new. Dani had assured her that it would be worth the effort to see the expression on James' face.

Dani lined both of their eyes with eyeliner and mascara, then pulled at Lily's hair. She curled it quickly so that long waves of dark red hair fell over her shoulders, then she turned to her own reflection.

Dani put the top half of her hair in a ponytail, then pulled the front pieces back out. She didn't look _complete_, but was unsure of what else to do to fix her hair.

Lily stared thoughtlessly at her reflexion in the mirror. She didn't know if she'd ever looked so…trendy!

Dani played with the pony tail at the pack of her head, and as she lifted her arms Lily spotted a glitter that distracted her from her own reflexion. A dark blue belly button ring.

She blinked. "You have your belly button pierced?" she gasped.

Dani looked over and smiled simply. That had been her sixteenth birthday present. Permission. She'd had to pay for it herself, but it was still a present.

Lily suddenly laughed, "I've wanted my bellybutton pierced for two years!"

"We have a lot in common." Dani said happily, trying not to ask why she hadn't just done it. "Let's go find the guys."

The day before, Dani and Lily had invited the Marauders out with them to the wizard village. They were going to meet in the common room then go out together.

Dani went first, to warn James not to make any inappropriate comments on Lily's appearance. It was pretty clear that Dani was going with Sirius when she bounded down the stairs and gave him a hug.

Lily came down the stairs next. James' jaw dropped, but he remembered his warning and didn't say anything inappropriate.

Sirius kept an arm casually around Dani's waist as they walked to the common room exit, then helped her through, very gentleman-ly. Dani thought it was adorable.

Lily was blown away by his behavior.

At the same time that how he was treating Dani was great, it was very out of character for him. She just hoped that Dani was being serious with him. Sirius was making such an effort, she wasn't sure whose side she'd be on if it didn't work out.

Sirius and Dani broke off from the group for an hour or two. He brought her to Honeydukes and introduced her to all sorts of brand new sweets. He took her to a book store, a hat shop and the Quidditch Emporium, finally stopping at The Three Broomsticks where everyone had agreed to meet.

Dani slid into a bench beside Lily and whispered "How was it?"

Lily smiled, "Later," she whispered back. Lily was more at ease around James than she ever had been. She actually enjoyed his company which was both very new and very nice.

The whole Hogsmeade experience had Dani even more sold on the wizarding world. Everybody there was so _nice! _It was so different from New York, which was a sort of harsh, gray place to live.

Dani had found a clothing store in the middle of the wizarding heaven, and she took Lily there after a few butterbeers. Obviously, the guys couldn't go help them try on clothes, so Dani and Lily went alone.

"Dish." Dani said, pulling her friend to a large jeans display. Lily really needed help in that department.

Lily smiled self-consciously. "It was really nice. He was so… normal! What about you and Sirius?" she asked, eager to leave the spotlight. Most girls didn't get along very well with Lily, so she wasn't used to 'girl-talk' or really talking about herself at all.

Dani shrugged, "He's cool, I guess…" Lily frowned. She was afraid of that. Dani didn't like Sirius as much as he liked her. "I mean… I _like _him, but after hearing what he did to all those other girls, it's kind of… hard to trust him. Why would I be any different from Samantha? Or Georgia? Or Sarah?" She'd gotten a few notes in class from girls giving her fair warning that Sirius Black was dangerous territory.

Lily shook her head slightly, "I don't think so." She said quietly, "I don't think he'd do that to you."

"But how do I know that?" Dani asked, concerned. She walked her friend to the dressing rooms with five bundles of denim in her arms.

"I guess… you don't." Lily admitted, stepping into the cubicle to try on her potential new jeans.

"Exactly." Dani said quietly. "I don't."

(*)*(*)*(*)*(*)*(*)

The boy's made it back to their dormitory, where a similar conversation was occurring.

"So…You finally have your Lillers?" Sirius said suggestively.

James rolled his eyes. "Today, she was so nice, and normal. It was amazing! She's so...everything I want. What about you and Dani?" he asked, pretty sure that Sirius had asked him out of formality.

An eager smile began to grow across Sirius' features. "She's so great! She's comfortable, and fun, and so different than anybody that I've ever met before!"

James smiled at those words and how they applied to his Lily.

(*)*(*)*(*)*(*)*(*)*(*)

"Come on!" Sirius whined impatiently the next morning. The girls were taking _forever_!!!! They were supposed to meet the boys for breakfast five minutes ago!

Remus smiled. He tactfully chose not to point out that Sirius had never had problems waiting for a girl before.

Finally, light footsteps could be heard on the stone steps as Lily and Dani emerged, laughing as hard as they ever had before.

James peaked an eyebrow at Lily actually _laughing _with somebody. Usually she was so serious. He was suddenly very glad that this Dani had come to their school. She was really good for Lily, who'd suddenly become so care-free and happy, it made his heart glow.

"Hi!" Dani said cheerfully, reaching up to peck Sirius on the cheek.

Suddenly, he didn't mind that she'd been late. She looked amazing even though she hadn't done anything special. Her large silver hoops earrings almost reached her shoulders. He played with one lightly.

"Where do you find these things?" he asked softly, with a mischievous smile.

"Why?" Dani asked sarcastically, "Do you want to get your ears pierced? Because boys and huge hoops don't go together very well."

Sirius laughed, "No," he said happily, "But Snivellus might want one,"

Dani bit her lip, and glanced over at Lily, who, thankfully, was talking to James and not paying attention to Sirius.

"Come on!" Dani exclaimed happily, tugging Sirius toward the exit of the Common Room. He grabbed hold of Remus' sleeve who, in turn, took James, who took Lily, who grabbed onto Dani. They were a human chain making their way…in a circle.

"What? Where are we going?" Lily asked wildly.

The smile on her face lit up her eyes in a way that James had rarely seen before. He didn't know that had been possible to make her any more beautiful, but all it seemed to take was a real, genuine smile. He loved it when she was happy. Her whole person glowed in euphoria.

Sirius took the lead. "It's a secret." He said mysteriously.

"You must do exactly as directed." Remus said seriously.

The girls nodded, while exchanging a 'these guys are such dorks' look.

"Good." James said happily.

Sirius led the group who were still connected by various articles of clothing, down a series of stairways and halls, to a large still life of a bowl of fruit. "Tickle the pear." He instructed.

Lily reached up, remembering her promise to do as instructed, but she couldn't seem to reach all the way up to the pear. Dani tried next, the smile still not gone from her lips.

"Ha!" Dani exclaimed when she managed to poke the pear. Then it started to move, and she jumped back. "What in the…" she muttered. Then reached up and tickled the fruit.

Moments later, Two things happened. The pear turned into a door handle, and Sirius stared openly at Dani.

"What?" she asked, concerned. Did she have something on her face?

"You pierced your belly button?" he asked wildly. Didn't that _hurt?_

Dani laughed lightly, "Um, yeah? Is that a problem?" she asked nervously.

"No!" Sirius exclaimed, "I just…" He was lost for words. It was sort of...hot!

"Not many people at Hogwarts have naval rings." Remus said calmly, knowing that Sirius would be unable to answer her for several minutes.

Dani resisted the urge to roll her eyes. Who cared who pierced what? "Oh," she said with a shrug. She chose to channel her annoyance into excitement as she grabbed the door handle and pushed. "What's in here?" she asked excitedly.

"Food!" James exclaimed.

Lily smiled. Food was in the Great Hall. Why had the boys led them here? Once inside, Lily could see what James meant by 'food'.

Food was quite literally everywhere. Counters littered with ingredients were off to the sides, and on the right were four large tables that appeared to be set up just like the Great Hall.

"Cool!" Dani exclaimed happily. "How'd you guys know this was here?"

Sirius smiled, "Marauder secret," he said in a voice that was obviously meant to keep her curious.

Lily was slightly less enthused. "Slavery!" she exclaimed when she saw the House Elves scurrying crazily to and fro.

"What?" James gasped. Why was she so upset? He immediately yearned for her smile.

"My school employs slaves!" Lily said unhappily. "Why? Why must slavery persist in a community where wizards are perfectly capable of making food for themselves?"

She ranted for a few more moments, but Dani was lost in her outpour of words.

"Woah there, Lily." She finally said. "Chill. Does anybody here look upset?"

Lily turned on her friend, "That's completely beside the point! Slaves didn't always look miserable! Do you know what would have happened if they did? Maybe these House Elves are unhappy but afraid of showing it!"

Sirius shot Lily a bewildered look, slightly glad that it wasn't _his _girl that was raving like a maniac_. "_They're happy. They love working here."

"How do you know that?" Lily shrieked.

Dani sighed lightly. "Come on, Lils. Let's go ask a few of them, okay?"

Lily seemed reluctant, but allowed herself to be led over to a cluster of House Elves who were fussing over a batter of some sort.

"Hello," Lily said nervously.

Dani was more assertive in her inquiry. "Are any of you unhappy at Hogwarts?" she asked bravely.

The Elves twittered quickly, but the general consensus was 'no'.

"Would you rather work somewhere else?" Dani asked. Again, the answer was no. "Have you been completely honest?" The Elves chattered 'yes'.

"Yeah," Lily muttered, almost embarrassed. "But why would they be honest with you? You could be the enemy!"

Dani turned back to her friend. "Lily, listen to yourself."

Lily, in stereotypically red head fashion, blushed rather furiously. "Oh…you're right. I'm being stupid."

"Yes, you are." Dani said calmly, "But we won't tell anybody." Lily giggled quietly, glad that she had such an amazing friend.

They returned to the boys, who were sitting glumly at Gryffindor table, not eating. At the sight of the girl's happy faces, however, they perked up immediately.

"Are you all right?" James asked with concern evident in his eyes.

"Of course I'm all right," Lily smiled. "Why wouldn't I be?"

Behind her, Dani held a finger to her lips, and the boys remained silent.

Together, they ate breakfast, then went up to the Common Room. James thought that Dani's effect on Lily was wonderful. She could calm Lily down without being hexed into oblivion like everybody else would be. James found it much easier to have fun with a calm Lily.

"Truth or Dare!" Dani suggested happily. It was perfect! After all, it was hardly difficult to lie about your darkest secret.

Lily's eyes glittered. "Excellent idea!"

"Smashing!" Sirius agreed.

Remus looked reluctant. Playing that game lead to dark secrets. One secret in particular…Remus was a werewolf.

"Actually, I'm going to go to bed." he said hastily.

Then, he disappeared up the stairs.

Lily smiled sympathetically over at Dani, who was the only one in the room who didn't know why Remus wasn't playing the game.

"We're going to play Truth or Dare with four people?" Dani asked uncertainly.

"Lame!" Lily exclaimed.

"Oh, well." Dani said happily. She tugged Lily behind her, up to their dormitory. "We'll be right back," she called over her shoulder. She needed a little privacy for this conversation.

Once in the seventh year girl's dormitory, Dani's blue eyes lit up excitedly.

"I think there's something weird going on with Remus." She said happily.

Lily cautiously arranged her expression. "Oh? Like what?"

Dani's smile didn't falter. "I don't know. Maybe he's a vampire," she was really hoping for that one. "Or a werewolf or something!" she added quickly.

Lily nodded slowly, "I've thought about that, too. But we can worry about that later. Let's just…keep it on the down-low for now."

Dani shrugged. "I still want to play Truth or Dare," she complained lightly.

Lily shrugged back, "Don't see why we can't. Even if there are only a few people."

Dani grimaced, "No…Let's find something else to do."

Secretly, Lily was happy that Dani didn't want to play. After all, if the boys said anything about their being Animagi, there would be some definite tension.

Dani could feel the fear and anxiety in the air around Remus before he left. That was one of the perks to being a half-vampire. Her senses were heightened immensely.

There were all sorts of restrictions against her and her kind, but she always worked through them. She had a good hold it now. She didn't feel the need for blood or anything like that too often. If she ever couldn't control her desire for real blood, she could eat a blood-sucker. She also had a few vials of blood hidden in the bottom of her trunk, as well. She was one hundred percent safe to be around. It was just that people tended to get upset when they knew.

The Ministry gave them a bit of extra money each month for her to get medical help. That helped them out a lot, especially since she didn't need any outstanding medical assistance besides the occasional blood fix.

It was definitely a good thing that her father was a vampire, but not her mother. He could tell her tricks like the bloodsucker thing. If Dani was a full vampire, her life would be much more difficult, and much less sunny.

Lily shrugged. "The Marauders always have something going on. Let's go ask them what to do."

Dani laughed, "What is with that name?" she asked, "Are they three years old?"

"They think they're the Princes of Prank," Lily explained with a smile. She thought that the name was sort of stupid, too.

Dani shook her head, then allowed herself to be led back down to the boys, who were waiting in the Common Room.

She loved how comfortable she was around everybody, and how well they accepted her, but she wouldn't ever tell them her secret. That was too dangerous.

She'd only told one person other than her parents, and to put it lightly, that did not go well. She'd learned her lesson well, though.

They'd moved to New York, and restarted their lives. She wouldn't do that ever to them again.

A/N-There you go. Now you know a bit more about Dani's past. I think it's pretty ominous, myself. Oh, and Just so you know, I wrote this way before Twilight, so try not to use their Vampire Rules when thinking about Dani, because they didn't exist when I wrote this. And no, Dani is not the daughter of Edward and Bella. As I said before, they didn't exist when I wrote this.

~Dani


	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimer: Nothing that you recognize belongs to me

Two weeks passed and both Remus and Dani's secrets were still safe. However, this Saturday night was the full moon.

Friday night, Dani decided that Remus was a werewolf. And Lily knew about it.

Saturday night, Dani could hold it in any longer, knowing that they were all out there with him. She wanted to help.

"Lils?" Dani asked quietly one night, when the other girls in the dormitory were asleep.

Lily made a tired noise that was probably supposed to be a word, but came out like "Urrrrgh?"

"I know about Remus."

Instantly, Lily was awake and sitting up. "What?"

In her rush to be alert, Lily had woken Tori, which concerned Dani because if one word could wake a _cat_, there was no telling what it would have done to the other girls.

They waited a moment, until the soft breathing of the other two girls evened out.

"I know that Remus is a werewolf," Dani said. She gently stroked Tori until the little kitten snuggled into the crook of her arm and slept.

Lily sighed heavily. "You're not supposed to know that." she muttered. "_I'm _not supposed to know that."

Dani didn't know what to say to that. "Well, I do. And _you _do."

Lily sighed again. There was nothing to say to that.

Suddenly, Dani's eyes began to sparkle, "Are you an Animagus, too?" she asked happily.

"What?" Lily gasped, "No!"

Dani gave her a moment. She had her suspicions about Lily.

Then:

"Yes…"

"Want to go to the Shrieking Shack?" Dani asked happily.

"How did you know they're there?" Lily asked, bewildered.

Really, Dani had overheard the boys talking about it with her very good hearing.

"Um…intuition." Was what Lily heard.

"Let's go!" Lily whispered happily.

Dani smiled, and slowly shifted away from Tori who mewed softly. Dani comforted the kitten so that she'd be quiet then slipped out of bed.

Lily went with her down to the Common Room, and further all the way out to the Forbidden Forest.

It occurred to Lily that they were in their pajamas, but when she brought it up to Dani, the girl just laughed and told her that they'd be animals in a few minutes.

Lily had grabbed a pair of slippers, but Dani was barefoot, seeming not to mind that cold.

In reality, Dani was cold all of the time. She couldn't help it. Without fresh, hot blood, she just couldn't warm up properly.

Lily suddenly laughed softly, she was so excited!

"What's your form?" she asked.

Dani smiled. Flitwick had 'accidentally' given her the ability to change form with his experiment. She thought about how terribly illegal her being an Animagus was. Vampires couldn't ever, and underage vampires definitely couldn't become Animagi.

"What are you?" Dani asked, changing the question around.

"I'm a doe," Lily said self-consciously. It was a very innocent sounding animal.

Dani's eyes twinkled. She'd overheard that James was a stag. Those two were a match made in heaven.

"I'm a phoenix," Dani said proudly.

"You're a what?" Lily stammered.

Dani just let her stare. It was pretty amazing. She really doubted that it was an accident that Flitwick had given her that information, but she wasn't about to bring it up. Being all magical and whatnot, he probably knew that she'd need to be able to change.

A few seconds later, Dani's eyes widened.

"Lily, I think we should transform…Now!" She could hear a clambering making their way towards them. But, of course, she couldn't tell the very unaware Lily that.

"You're right," Lily said happily, mistaking her friends fear for excitement, "I can't wait to see you in your form!".

Dani hastily transformed into her scarlet bird form.

Lily took her cue to transform into a graceful doe with large, innocent eyes. Dani thought that she was beautiful.

Dani flew up above Lily, into the Forbidden Forest. She could see the Marauders in animal form. Dani had been right, of course. They were close.

Lily made a small noise to the stag, to alert the boys of their presence.

Dani mentally matched boy to animal. Peter was the rat, Sirius was the dog (he was kind of cute in an ominous way), James was the stag, and Remus was the werewolf. And now, Lily was the doe, and Dani was the phoenix.

James tried to get the two out of their way. It was clear that the little doe would be hurt by the werewolf. Why wouldn't those animals get out of there! Why didn't they understand that they were in dangerous territory?

Dani tried to make them see that she and Lily were there to help, but they weren't getting the picture.

Finally, she flew over to Sirius and hovered before him, staring directly into his eyes. Sirius was shocked. He'd never seen an animal go through such pains to look him in the eyes before. Then, a voice appeared in his mind.

_It's me, Dani! And the doe is Lily. We want to help you!_

And then it was gone. Sirius ran over to James and signaled to him with his paw. James tossed his head, then let the doe and phoenix become acquainted with Remus.

Lily ventured forward with her head low. She looked Remus in the eyes, who promptly charged her.

The doe stumbled backwards, but stared at him bravely with her dark eyes.

The students' eye color changed when in Animagus form. Sirius, James, Peter and Lily's were varying shades of black and brown. Dani's changed to a dark blue that could easily be mistaken for black. Remus, of course, had yellow.

The werewolf blinked in surprise, then he charged one more time. This time, Lily kept her ground with her head held high. Remus bowed his head with his eyes on the ground. He understood that she wasn't going anywhere and was okay with that.

Next came Dani.

A phoenix didn't need to do much for recognition.

She came to land before him, and sang a quiet song. The werewolf bowed low to the ground.

She was accepted.

Remus happily frolicked with them all. Whenever he lost control, either James or Sirius jumped in to stop him before he could hurt one of the girls.

When the boys got hurt protecting her, Dani swooped over and laid a tear or two on the wound. It healed almost instantly, and they nodded to her in gratitude before jumping back after Remus again.

As the sun rose, Remus crumpled to the ground.

Dani flew over to him and laid pearly tears on the various scratches littering his body.

Only minutes later, Remus rose to his feet in human form, looking better than Dani had ever seen him.

All Animagi dropped their forms.

James glared angrily at Lily and Dani. Peter was temporarily distracted by a butterfly.

"What in Merlin's name do you think you were doing?" James bellowed.

Dani blinked calmly, "We wanted to help."

"You could have helped by staying away." James snapped.

Remus wiggled a few fingers. He'd never felt so rejuvenated after a transformation! It felt really good! Remus rushed over and embraced Dani tightly.

"Thank you!" he exclaimed. He felt wonderful!

Dani tried very hard not to look smug. Clearly, she had helped just fine while being involved.

Lily looked sheepishly at Remus. She hadn't exactly helped much.

"We wasted time protecting you." James said angrily.

"Then you shouldn't have!" Lily exclaimed.

"I had to." James retorted angrily.

"Why?"Lily snapped.

James didn't have an answer to that.

Lily half wished that he would say something like 'because I love you' or something abnormally sweet like that.

She felt a little lame in comparison to Dani. Lily couldn't help Remus very much, but she wasn't about to let Dani go on a full moon without her.

"Guys, we should get Remus to Madame Pomfrey." Dani said hastily. After all, the school nurse didn't know that there was a phoenix on hand. They started walking briskly towards the castle.

Remus chose that moment to look worried. "I guess you two know my secret now…"

"Actually," Lily said quietly, "I knew before,"

Dani shrugged, "So did I."

"How?" Remus asked, in shock. If he was being so obvious, what would stop other students from figuring it out?

"I figured it out in third year…" Lily said softly, "Your disappearances sort of matched up with my theory. Besides, you always looked so tired around the full moon."

Remus sighed. He supposed that it was inevitable that somebody other than the Marauders would figure out his secret.

"What tipped you off?" he asked Dani.

She didn't look any different on the outside, but inside, Dani was gripped with a cold panic. She got that way every time that somebody came close to discovering her secret.

She didn't have this problem too often. Muggles didn't believe in vampires. They chose to believe that she was naturally pale.

Nobody had ever noticed those two teeth that were a little longer and sharper than the others. Nobody noticed that her lips got redder every other Tuesday, when she indulged in blood. Nobody noticed that her skin was so cold, especially every other Monday. That she wore sweaters no matter the weather.

Nobody noticed.

There would be a reason for them to look out for these things if she said the wrong thing.

Dani smiled lightly, "It was sort of obvious. An ill mother? Really?"

Remus shrugged, "All right, fine. It wasn't the best excuse. But it's worked just fine against almost all of the students in the whole school for six years."

"Well," Dani said sarcastically, "I'm not 'almost', am I?"

Sirius smiled, she really was different that all of the other girls that he'd ever met.

"I won't tell anybody." Dani and Lily said at the same time. "Promise."

James smiled, too. Those two connected as well as he had with the other Marauders. It was like they'd been friends since birth.

Remus looked so happy it nearly broke Lily's heart.

She wanted to be a Healer. She wanted to find a cure for him. Or at least make something so that he wouldn't hurt himself. After all, not everybody had a phoenix for a friend.

Every werewolf could benefit from a cure.

They helped Remus to the castle, then snuck into the boy's dormitory where they could talk. Remus would join them later.

"All right," Sirius said sternly, when they had the room to themselves. "It wasn't obvious. It took us over a year."

"Well," Dani said cheerfully, "You're not a girl."

"Wait," Lily objected suddenly, "It took me three years. For you to figure it out in just a few weeks is ridiculous. How did you do it?"

"And how did you talk inside my mind?" Sirius asked.

Dani shrugged, "I guess it was sort of obvious for me, and I think the talking thing had to do with being a phoenix. I haven't done a whole lot of research about them, but they're pretty magnificent creatures."

Nobody particularly bought that excuse.

"Actually, I've got to go feed Tori." Dani said hastily, then rushed out of the room.

"What's going on with her?" Lily wondered out loud.

Nobody could answer.

It didn't make sense. If Dani was psychic or something, she could have just said that. Clearly, something bigger was going on. Something that none of them could hope to understand.

Dani pulled a blood sucker out of her trunk, and stuck it in her mouth quickly to help her calm down.

She waved her wand and her kitten's porcelain bowl filled halfway with kitty kibble. The kitten raced over, waking at the sound of the food hitting the bottom of the bowl. Dani slid down the wall and folded her legs underneath her, sucking miserably.

The girl sighed. "What am I going to do, Tori?" The other girls were at breakfast, so nobody could overhear her. "This wasn't a problem back home. Nobody believed in any of this. But here…"

Tori abandoned the food to hop into Dani's lap. She purred loudly, snuggling in Dani's arms.

"You're right, I guess…" Dani muttered.

She took the snuggling as a 'Don't worry, they don't know anything that you didn't tell them.' which, of course, was ridiculous interpretation from a cat, but Dani needed to hear it.

She gently scratched behind the kitten's ears, making the little feline's purr deepen.

Lily slipped into the dormitory with a tray of milk and cookies.

"Hey," she muttered, "Are you all right?"

Dani smiled over at her. "I'm fine." she said as calmly as she could manage.

Lily nodded, "You came in here to feed Tori, so I figured that I'd feed you."

Dani's smile faded slightly, "Thanks."

The red haired girl sat down gracefully beside Dani and put the tray between them. Lily took a cookie, being careful not to drop crumbs all over the place, and dunked it into her milk.

Dani continued with her blood sucker, trying not to notice the coppery smell that was coming from Lily. Dani had a pretty good idea of where the bloody scent was coming from, but being that close to it was really difficult.

"What's wrong?" Lily asked softly. "You don't like cookies?"

Dani smiled, "I'm all set." She said quietly.

She tried not to breathe too heavily, but the scent of Lily's blood was driving her crazy!

Lily sat with her entirely too long. Finally, she excused herself from the dorm, and Dani carefully moved Tori before bolting to her trunk and digging out one of the vials of blood.

The suckers just weren't the same. They could sustain her when her thirst for blood wasn't too strong, but just then she found it so much more difficult to contain.

Dani ran back to her kitten and scooped Tori into her lap, making it seem as if she hadn't gone anywhere.

Lily was back minutes later with an impatient dog in front of her.

The dog transformed into Sirius as soon as it was no longer on the stairs.

"Dani!" He exclaimed, "Are you okay?"

The girl shot him a look, "Um…yes."

Tori made a quiet mewing noise. Dani let her hop off of her lap and drink some of the milk that Lily had brought with her.

"You ran off!" Sirius exclaimed, a little hurt that she'd been so upset.

Dani raised an eyebrow. "I was right here," she said stupidly, "Chill."

"Would you come over to the boy's dormitory?" Sirius asked, seemingly content with her safety. "Remus is back."

"Bye, Tori." Dani said happily, then she followed Sirius down the slide that the stairs had turned into.


	4. Chapter 4

Disclaimer: Nothing that you recognize belongs to me

Dani was seated comfortably on Sirius' bed, but inside she was anything but comfy. She had the strange suspicion that Lily was more intuitive than she was letting on, and that made her extra nervous.

"So," Remus said slowly, "Does somebody want to tell me what's going on?"

Dani looked around with what she hoped was wonder or confusion.

"What do you mean?" she asked innocently.

"For one thing: Why are you eating one of those?" James asked, eying her blood sucker with a grimace. "They're _nasty_."

Remus rolled his eyes, "I was referring to the theories that these three have been trading."

"Where's Peter?" Dani asked suddenly.

"Tutoring." Sirius filled in.

Lily really didn't want to accuse Dani of anything, but it sort of made sense. "Dani…Have you come back in time?"

Dani smiled. If only. "Yup. I did."

"Really?" James gasped.

"No." Dani said shortly, "Believe it or not, your secret was really obvious. And the reason that I'm eating one of these is because I think they're good."

Sirius looked at the girl directly in the eye.

"You know that you can tell us anything, right?" he asked sincerely.

Dani smiled, and said "yes", even though she really didn't believe him. That seemed to finish up that conversation, and Dani was glad for it. What did they want her to do? Tell them all that she was half vampire? Well, that wasn't going to happen.

At the same time, though, her thirst for blood was getting stronger, and inversely, her patience was getting shorter.

She didn't really want to get sick, which she would if she ignored her urge for blood. The stuff in those vials just wasn't fresh enough. She'd have to write home that night. Maybe her mom could send her a bit. Her dad could try, but he probably wouldn't be able to get it to an owl without indulging himself.

"Dani," James said quietly, not really wanting to wake her up from her thoughts. "Would you mind transforming for a second? I sort of fell on the stairs, and I don't really want to tell Poppy why I was running…" Dani raised an eyebrow, "I was trying to get away from Snivellus. He sort of went insane…" She didn't want to know how he fell, or why Snape was chasing him. Frankly, she didn't care. She just wanted to make this blood go away so that she could control herself better.

Dani rolled her eyes, and transformed into a phoenix, laying a pearly tears across his chest and back.

"Lunch time?" Sirius begged.

James laughed as Dani finished up and transformed human.

"Sure, Pads. Let's go!"

Lily and James trailed after Sirius and Dani, and Remus elected to stay in his dormitory. He still couldn't believe that Dani had figured out his secret. He thought that he'd been so discreet.

(*)*(*)*(*)*(*)

"Blood sausage!" Sirius moaned unhappily. Dani smiled over at the staff table to send a silent thank you to the Headmaster. Apparently, he understood how difficult it was to go these last few days without any blood.

For some reason, Dani missed home. She missed her dad and how he made everything vampire related seem easy. He'd done it for years, so maybe it was border-line simple for him. But now, facing it alone, Dani was nervous. She wanted blood more than she ever remembered wanting it before.

As horrible as it made her feel, when Sirius leaned back in his chair, she imagined sinking her sharp teeth into his long neck. It was the most blissful daydream that she'd ever had. Tasting that hot, coursing blood. Feeling warm and sustained for the first time in weeks. She could smell it. She could taste it. She could feel it.

Dani piled her own plate with blood sausage, temporarily setting aside her blood sucker.

Lily eyed it, starting to realize something. Sirius and James just looked disgusted.

Dani didn't really care who gave her whatever kind of look they wanted. It wasn't as though she intended to act on those urges to go sink her teeth into one of them.

She could control herself better than that.

(*)*(*)*(*)*(*)*(*)

"It's all right…" Dani whispered to herself at two o'clock Tuesday morning. "You'll be fine…"

Tori snoozed peacefully a few inches away from her.

She'd already had the stuff that her mom had sent her. It was cold and useless.

These blood suckers did nothing for her now.

She was out of options.

She sat by herself, rocking quietly in a corner of the Common Room, completely encased in shadow.

She didn't want to be around anybody.

She didn't want to attack anybody.

She refused, but she needed blood.

She had gotten even paler as the clock struck midnight.

She had already vomited everything in her stomach.

She was ill.

She knew that she needed a decent source of blood.

Soon.

Dani rocked a little bit faster. She really wanted to just sneak up those stairs and dig her teeth into somebody.

Her two sharp fangs had gotten longer and sharper over the past few hours, and it hurt to run her tongue over them.

She almost wished that she could bite herself. Wished that it would sustain her, but she knew that it wouldn't.

She shushed herself softly, stifling a whimper.

Just then, footsteps could be heard making their way down the stairs from the boy's dormitory. Dani spent a fraction of a second indulging herself in the fantasy of attacking whoever it was. She didn't need much; they'd probably be fine.

Sirius stepped into the Common Room, casting a look around for who he'd heard down there.

Dani froze and kept silent, but Tori chose that moment to bound out and over to Sirius, mewing loudly.

Sirius knelt, and picked up the little kitten. "Hello, there." He said cheerfully, "Where's Dani?"

The kitten mewed, but Dani didn't move. From where she sat, she could practically see the blood coursing beneath his very exposed skin.

For some reason, he'd come down in only his boxers.

Dani couldn't keep herself together anymore. She needed to get rid of him.

She stood up, and walked over quietly. To Sirius, it seemed that she'd appeared out of nowhere.

"Good morning," Dani said calmly.

Sirius smiled happily, "Hi!" he exclaimed. "What are you doing up so late?"

Dani shrugged as nonchalantly as she could manage. "Couldn't sleep. What's your excuse?" she asked, stroking her kitten's ear lightly.

Sirius shrugged, "I'm a really light sleeper, especially after all these years with Prongs…I thought I heard something down here." The girl smiled. Her stomach growled loudly. Sirius looked at her with concern. "You sound hungry. Want to go to the kitchens?"

Dani knew that if she was around Sirius for that long, she wouldn't be able to contain her urge to sink her teeth into some part of his exposed skin.

Even being around Tori was difficult, with that cat's blood being so hot and her fur so soft…So penetrate-able.

She shook her head quickly.

"Uh, no. I don't think so."

Her stomach growled again.

_Sell-out_ Dani thought angrily at it.

"Are you sure?" Sirius asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Yeah," Dani said hastily. She needed to find a way to protect Tori. "But, um…Tori seems happy with you. Why don't you take her with you tonight?"

Indeed, the kitten was curled in his arms, her head pressed into the crook of his elbow.

Sirius smiled. "You know, I've never really been a cat person, but…I don't know... Tori's all right."

"All right?" Dani repeated, trying to sound irritated, like she normally would.

"Fine." Sirius said heavily, "She's bloody adorable. You happy?"

She nodded, "Yup. And she is, too. I'm going to go to sleep. Good night." But she knew that the couldn't be up there with those unsuspecting girls.

Dani went halfway up the stairs, then came back with the hope that Sirius would be gone.

He wasn't.

Sirius was sitting on the couch with Tori now lounging around his neck. On the verge of breaking into tears, she gave up. She could see that she wasn't getting through this without a little help.

"Sirius?" she said quietly. He didn't seem particularly surprised to see her. Maybe he knew that she was coming back. "I need your help."She quickly sat beside him.

"Anything." he pledged.

Dani grimaced, "You might not be so confident when you hear what it is…"

Sirius shot her a pointed look. "What do you need?"

"Blood." Dani said honestly.

"…What?" Sirius asked after a short pause.

Dani sighed and said _very _quickly, "I'm vampire, and I need blood to make it through today. I'm really, really sorry to put you in this position, but you can't tell _anybody_. And I'll heal you just as soon as I'm okay, but Sirius…I feel sick. Really sick. I need blood."

Sirius picked up her hand, noting how cold it was. It was seriously like holding a piece of ice. "This is an awkward question, but…would it turn me into a vampire?" he asked uncertainly.

Dani shook her head vigorously, surprised. "No! I'm only half vampire. I wouldn't ask that of you."

"In that case, of course I'll help." Sirius said, "But I don't know how to…"

Dani took over from there. She pulled her wand from her pajama pants and picked up his wrist. She quickly numbed the area, the shot him an apologetic look before lifting his arm to her mouth, and gently dipping her teeth into the skin.

Her teeth, which had gotten so sharp, sank in and drew blood immediately.

She yanked out her teeth clumsily, and sucked until the blood made its way around her body and she felt warm again.

She felt alive again.

She stopped herself as soon as she felt that she could survive and immediately healed his wrist with her wand.

She wiped her mouth sheepishly.

"Thank you." She muttered.

Sirius smiled. He was glad to help, especially when it was something so small.

Yes, it felt a little bit odd for a few minutes, but it didn't hurt or anything, and there were no side effects for himself besides the shiver that swept through him when he saw her so alive. She looked amazing. So full of energy. So much healthier than she had just minutes ago.

"Glad to help." Sirius said honestly.

Tori leapt into Dani's lap, enjoying the warmth that she hadn't ever felt before. Dani appreciated her pet for a few minutes in silence.

Sirius frowned slightly. "How can you handle having a secret like that?"

Dani shrugged, "I suppose the way that Remus does."

Sirius sighed lightly, shaking his head. "But Remus has us." He waited a moment, thinking, then, "You know that nobody would think different of you."

Dani shook her head. "Yes, they will. It isn't like Remus. He doesn't need help."

"But we offer it to him anyways." Sirius reminded her.

"Just…Promise that you won't tell anybody," Dani begged.

Sirius sighed lightly, "Fine. I promise."

"Good." Dani said, "Now, I'm really, really hungry."

Her stomach, seeming to second that statement, growled loudly just then.

Sirius smiled, "Then let's go!" he said happily.

Dani smiled, "Shouldn't you wear something?"

"Why?" Sirius asked cheerfully, "It's just the Elves."

Dani laughed, then followed him out of the Common Room, with Tori slung across her shoulders like a serpent.

A/N- So there. Dani finally asks for the help that she needs. Of course, Dashing and brilliant (not to mention dreamy) Sirius rushes in to help her.

Again, I wrote this before the Twilight saga (Which I'm a huge fan of, so I'm not dissing it) So Dani is nothing like Renesme. She can't live off one or the other. She needs both.

~Dani


	5. Chapter 5

Disclaimer: Nothing that you recognize belongs to me

True to his word, Sirius didn't tell a soul Dani's secret, or why she suddenly looked so much healthier.

Lily noticed that suddenly Dani's cheeks were colored pink, her lips dark red. Her skin was so much more alive. Her eyes were the most remarkable difference.

Before, they were dark and calm as an ocean. But now, they were mysterious, and alive, and had a darker, almost smoky ring around the outside.

They taunted Sirius with their charm and humor. He liked her so much better this way. She didn't look sick anymore. Now, she just looked happy incredible.

Dani made it through the rest of September and through to Halloween without anybody discovering her secret.

Every other Tuesday, Sirius crept down the stairs to the Common Room, and offered her his arm.

She took as little as she could manage with, and was thrilled that he hadn't told anybody, though every time he informed her that nobody would care. They would probably even want to help her.

He also offered his blood on a more regular basis than when she was literally dying from need, but she declined.

The thought of taking his blood to begin with disgusted her. She didn't want to make it any worse.

Halloween fell on Tuesday that year. Dani was rightfully worried because Halloween at Hogwarts was a huge affair, especially with the Marauders. They stayed up the whole night every year, and this year, she and Lily had been invited to join them.

Dani intended to ignore her thirst, and go on without blood of any kind. She'd just have to manage.

It was made clear that old blood, like the kind that her mom sent to her in the post, just wasn't fresh enough to sustain her. She politely asked her mother not to bother. If it didn't help anyways, why put forth the effort?

After classes on Halloween, the Marauders disappeared, and reappeared half an hour later, in costume. Remus was now dressed as a frightening, furry werewolf. James was a stately Prince, Peter was a pumpkin and Sirius was Count Dracula.

Lily, after seeing what they were doing, dragged Dani up the stairs to change. They didn't exactly have costumes, but they could make some quite easily.

With a good amount of clever wand waving on Lily's case, the redhead's school robes changed into gorgeous silver and light blue dress robes that floated behind her when she walked.

Her red hair was curled softly, and lengthened to fall down to her waist. A headband of Dani's was transformed with a wand flick into a delicate silver tiara.

She was a princess.

"What do you want to be?" Lily asked excitedly.

Dani smiled ironically, "I was to be a vampiress!" she exclaimed.

Lily laughed quietly, "Does that have anything to do with Sirius' costume?" she asked knowingly.

The other girl shrugged, "I don't know."

Lily tsk-ed. "It's fine. I'm a princess for James. There's no reason that your costume can't…intrigue him"

Dani laughed, "Exactly what are you thinking?"

A good number of flicks and swishes later, Dani was dressed in a skin tight black leather mini skirt with black fishnets and a black halter top with a plunging neckline and almost nonexistent back.

Covering her back was a knee-length black leather coat. Her nearly black hair was darkened slightly and lengthened, then swept up, and curled. A black leather choker was strapped around her neck and her lips were dark red.

Her eyes were heavily lined, and some brilliance of mascara lengthened her eyelashes and made them multiply in volume. She declined Lily's offer to lengthen her teeth. She just didn't want to bring attention to what would already be different tonight.

She definitely looked…_intriguing_.

Dani fished a chunky pair of black leather boots that rose almost to her knees from her trunk, and a silver strappy pair of kitten heels for Lily.

With their costumes complete, the girls slipped downstairs discreetly. The Common Room was empty save for the four Marauders.

Dani spotted Sirius, sitting back in a large cushy chair. She crossed the room silently, and perched on his lap, slinking her arms around his neck.

"Evening," she said with a purr in her voice.

Sirius' eyes widened. His arms slipped around his waist. "Uh…Hi!" he choked out. That was as much as his voice would manage. She looked amazing!

Lily found James' head sticking up behind the couch. She slipped her arms around his neck from behind, and murmured a breathy hello in his ear.

James blushed furiously as soon as he saw her.

Remus and Peter exchanged glances. They could tell that they were about to be very ignored.

Dani and Sirius proposed a round of ghost stories at almost the same moment. Everybody else was game, and each person told the most terrifying tale that they knew.

Dani found it difficult to be afraid. She just couldn't manage to get into the Halloween spirit.

Perhaps it was that Lily had changed her into her idea of a vampiress. Dani didn't look much like herself. The misconception was irritating. She understood that she was supposed to be an appealing murderer, and that upset her.

Dani was not a murderer.

She'd never killed anything in her life, except the occasional cockroach. And yet, she was still accused. Of course, Lily didn't know that she'd accused Dani of anything, but she had.

Sirius was too busy looking at Dani to notice that she was upset. She was gorgeous! Even though she was pale and cold, she looked so alive.

What he didn't know was that she looked alive because of her anger.

He wished that she would take a bit of his blood. She'd feel so much better. So much warmer.

That was one of his favorite things about late Tuesday nights. She was warm, and she allowed him to hold her.

Every other Tuesday, she would snuggle against his chest, partially in gratitude, partially in sarcasm against her kitten, who did the same, partially in relief that she felt so much better, and partially to beg that they make a midnight run to the kitchens.

He missed that already. For those brief minutes before their kitchen run, he loved the way that she felt in his arms. He loved that she let him hold her. He loved that she let herself be vulnerable and sleepy and comfortable around him for those few minutes.

By the time that he'd agreed to go to the kitchens, she would be herself again. The self that she was when she'd gone a while without blood.

Maybe that was one of the reasons that he was so willing to lend his own. He got a glimpse of a different Dani. She was cuddly!

Just then, a thought occurred to him. Sirius winked over at James, and said that he was heading for the kitchens for pumpkin pie.

Before Dani could stand up to let him move, he swept her up in his arms, and carried her out of the Common Room.

That was half way due to the fact that she wouldn't have come with him is he only asked, but mostly because he didn't want to let her away from him for half a second.

He set her down lightly in a dark alcove. He shoved his left wrist in front of her.

"Go on." He ordered.

Dani looked mortified. "What are you-"

But he wouldn't hear it. "Do it." Dani looked confusedly up at him, with her dark blue eyes riddled with hurt. "You'll feel better."

But she couldn't. She turned around, and began storming back to the Common Room. Sirius grabbed her wrist, and whipped her around.

"Dani, you look sick. You _feel_ sick. You're so cold. Just do it!" Sirius exclaimed in hushed tones. He made that oxymoron possible to prove his insistence.

"No!" Dani exclaimed, "I'll be fine!"

Sirius gave her a look. "Dani…You're only going to make yourself more sick."

Dani's bottom lip trembled slightly, "I can't." she whispered, "If I do it now, I'll do it every time that I want to, and…I can't do that to you…I just wish you would understand…"

She looked on the verge of tears, and that image was like a cold knife through Sirius' heart.

He nodded, "We need pumpkin pie." He said seriously, trying his hardest to change the subject for her.

Dani cringed. "You know, I don't think I've ever eaten so much in my life as since I've come here…" Sirius snorted. He loved her curves. "I'm already about two of Lily…"

Sirius frowned, and shook his head. "Did you know that you're beautiful?" he said softly.

He stared directly into her eyes, and Dani's breath caught in her throat.

Sirius inched forward. Dani's eyes widened. Sirius noticed, and wasn't sure if it was a good or bad reaction. He inched forward a bit further.

Now he was close enough to slowly raise a hand to her waist and tug her a tad closer.

Dani couldn't decide if she wanted him to kiss her. She did know that the lust in his eyes was intoxicating. She did know that if his wanting her looked that good, she couldn't deny him.

Another inch, and Sirius' other hand found its way to her waist. Somehow, Dani's arms slipped around his neck, one threading into his hair. Sirius closed his eyes for a moment. One little touch had such an effect on him.

When he opened his eyes again, Dani's lips were a millimeter from his. They were slightly parted, and positively the most alluring and undeniable sight that he'd ever seen. He dipped his head a little more, his lips almost touching hers, then she started, and yanked herself back.

Immediately, he began apologizing. "I'm so sorry. I should've-"

But Dani shook her head, stifling a bubble of laughter at how nervous he'd gotten.

"No, it's just…I thought you had a girlfriend…" Dani said self consciously. Some girl had been bragging in the loo.

Sirius smiled in relief. "Dani, I haven't since last June!" he exclaimed, then he grabbed her by the waist, and pressed his lips to hers.

Dani had been expecting his to push harder, to match how quickly he'd approached her lips. But she was surprised.

This kiss was soft, and supple, and it sent shivers to her toes in a delightful manner.

When they parted less than ten seconds later, Sirius smiled down into her eyes, and suddenly remembered.

"Pie!" he exclaimed.

"Chill," Dani said offhand.

She led him across the hall, and paced back and forth a few times. A door appeared, and when she opened it, a bakery was revealed.

"Pumpkin, apple, and blueberry. Just for the heck of it." she said cheerfully.

Sirius smiled, "Why is there no apple cider?" he complained. Then, in his hands was a punch bowl of dark gold liquid. "Excellent!" he exclaimed.

"Good?" Dani asked slightly impatiently. "Good." Then she led the way to the Common Room.

Sirius wanted very badly to tell his friends about the room, or at least ask why they'd never found it before, but to acknowledge the room was to admit why he'd been there. To tell them that there was a room was to tell them that he had needed Dani. To tell them was to admit it to himself.

(*)*(*)*(*)

The Common Room entrance opened and a very attractive pair of vampires stepped inside.

"We've got pie!" Sirius exclaimed cheerfully.

Lily looked over at Dani in that infuriating way that girls do when they know what's in the other's mind.

Dani returned her look with a narrowing of the eyes that clearly said 'LATER!'

The teens passed the evening with ghost stories and the punch bowl which never seemed to empty.

As the night grew deeper, and the stories more ridiculous, James felt the need to reel it in with a truly terrifying tale.

"Once, when I was little, an old man told me the story of Little Vicky Vampire." He began in hushed tones, obviously hoping to intensify the mood.

Dani stiffened, but finally allowed herself to relax in Sirius' comfortable hold.

"Vicky was a normal little girl…Brown hair, freckles…A little skinny for her age, but in a crowd, you'd never notice her." James cast a look about the group, trying so hard to scare at least one of them.

"Now, one day…as Vicky played outside by her house, a short old woman with a dark mole staggered out of the forest with a scraggly cane pointed in her direction."

Dani felt a bubble of anger growing. The pictures that James painted about vampires were offensive, and he'd barely begun.

"The old woman called out to the girl, asking for her help reaching an apple that was just a bit out of her reach. Vicky obliged. She followed the woman into the forest. Vicky's mother came outside five minutes later. She heard a scream, and the next thing that she knew, Vicky was walking back out."

Lily huddled closer to Remus. She could feel the end of the story coming, and really didn't want to be frightened. Remus pulled her closer as if she was a younger sister. He didn't want her to be scared either.

James resisted the urge to smirk. He had them all so into the story.

"She looked pale, but perfectly all right. Perfectly safe. Her mother inquired about a black tie around her neck. Vicky waved it off and apologized for screaming. A spider had scared her, she said. Her mother told her to go into the house for the night. Vicky argued. She didn't want to go, but her mother ordered her to go into the house. The next morning, Vicky's mother was dead."

Lily repressed a gasp. Remus held her a little closer. Dani repressed the urge to slap James. Sirius held her tighter. Peter was asleep by now, dreaming about the possible endings to the story.

"Two weeks later, they found Vicky at the old woman's house." James said darkly. "She didn't want to leave, but the Aurors demanded that she go with them to the Ministry. They began to duel. Vicky was like nothing that they'd ever dealt with before. It was almost as if she could read their thoughts."

Lily's eyes widened. Could vampires read minds?

Dani tried not to roll her eyes. It was fairly common knowledge that vampires can project their thoughts when they wanted to. Natural Occlumency was one of the only benefits that existed.

"Finally, Vicky had killed all but one of the Aurors. Her own father. He was a broken man because his wife had died and his daughter was now a murderer. Vicky had him on his back in two moves. Her dad reached out and snapped the black band from her neck. There were two gashes there."

James kept his face stony, but inside he was giggling with joy that his audience was so enraptured.

"Her father began to weep. His daughter was a vampire. She gave him one final choice. To be killed, or to become a vampire as well." James cast one more look around the group, "They found him the next morning, with two gashes in his neck. Vicky is still out there, guys. And she's coming after all who hear her story…"

Five seconds of silence followed. For some, it was anger, or even hurt (Sirius and Dani) for some, it was fear, or shock (Lily and Remus). For some, it was the thrill of watching the terror in a pair of gorgeous emerald eyes (James, watching Lily).

Then, a grin erupted on James' lips.

"Ha! I finally got you!" he exclaimed, "The Halloween Head has spoken…I win this year!"

Lily smirked, and smacked his chest. "Halloween Head?" she asked, mildly curious now that she'd recovered from the story.

James shrugged, grabbing another slice of blueberry pie. "Denotes who's the best story-teller each Halloween." He answered simply.

Dani set her cold stare on each person in the room besides Sirius (partially because he was behind her, and partially because he hadn't upset her).

"Is that really what you think of vampires?" she asked harshly.

James nearly spit out his pie. "What?"

"That they're murders?" Dani asked with hurt in her eyes. "Traitors?"

"Yes!" James exclaimed, "They don't care who they attack!"

Dani felt a tear struggling with her resolve not to cry. "Maybe some vampires are decent."

"No." James countered quickly. "All vampires are evil."

"Not all of us." Dani said so softly that James barely heard it, but he did. Then, somehow tearing away from Sirius' iron grip, she ran out of the Common Room.

"What was that?" James asked stupidly.

Lily glared at him. "James, you narrow-minded prat!" she exclaimed, then ran out of the Common Room to try to find Dani.

Remus shook his head sadly. "I thought I'd helped you…" Then he, too, took his leave.

"Dani?" James asked wildly, "She can't be a vampire!"

Sirius stood, and took one last look at somebody who he'd thought was a decent person. Somebody who wouldn't insult anybody who didn't deserve it. His best friend. Then he took quick steps out of the Common Room. He couldn't stand to be around James any longer.

A/N- Et Voila!

I really like this chapter. It proves that James isn't as perfect as everybody thinks. Oh, and that Sirius is a total sweetheart. But that may only be because I'm in love with him.

Kisses and Cupcakes (And blueberry pie)

But only if you review!

~Dani


	6. Chapter 6

Disclaimer: Nothing that you recognize belongs to me

"Dani?" Sirius whispered when he finally found her crumpled form outside the Slytherin Common Room.

They'd searched for hours, but the girl seemed to have disappeared. Now, he'd found her.

Sirius rushed forward, and lifted her in his arms. She looked so sad, even when she was unconscious.

Why did James have to tell that story? Why had they let him? After hearing the name of the story, why hadn't they stopped him? Would Dani have let them stop him? Why didn't she?

Questions flew through Sirius' mind, but just then, he needed to get her to the Hospital Wing.

_No!_

Sirius blinked. That wasn't his own mind…What was going on?

_Don't tell anybody!_

Sirius didn't know what to do. He could hear Dani's voice in his mind, telling him not to bring her to the Hospital Wing, but…What did she want him to do?

_Lily…_

He nodded, and carried Dani to Gryffindor Common Room. Lily was studying to be a Healer. She would help. She would know what to do.

Sirius gently laid the girl on the dark red couch. He smoothed the hair from her forehead. She looked as if she had gone without blood for a very long time.

When Lily stumbled into the Common Room, green eyes were glowing unnaturally.

"Lily?" Sirius asked quietly.

She blinked rapidly, as if trying to rid her mind of something. "Sirius? Where's-Oh." Lily kneeled beside the girl, and took out her wand. She waved it before Dani, and a scroll appeared. She read it quickly, shaking her head.

"Slytherin jerks…" she whispered to herself.

"What?" Sirius snapped, "What did they do to her?"

Lily shook her head, and continued reading.

"It appears that she fell down and hit her head outside of Slytherin Common Room. She must have made a bit of noise when she fell… She's been hexed and cursed as well…" Lily muttered to Sirius.

Sirius made a low, angry noise. "Why? Why would they do that to her?" he snapped.

He remembered that because she hadn't had blood in awhile, she must've been getting weaker. And that was besides the fact that she hadn't been able to keep any food down since the day before.

Lily shrugged. "Dani?" she asked quietly, "Dani, where are you?"

A short pause, then Lily whispered, "Transform, and cry a few tears. They'll heal you."

A moment later, Dani was a phoenix. The bird wept speedily, with large tears coursing from her closed lids.

Lily thought that it was the saddest thing she'd ever seen. Sirius wanted revenge.

The phoenix shifted slightly, but didn't wake.

Remus strode into the Common Room, looking thoroughly distressed.

"Did you find her?" he asked with worry in his eyes, "How is she?"

Lily shook her head slightly. "I don't know." She admitted.

"A vampire…" he muttered.

Sirius tried to pretend that he didn't know what they were talking about. "I don't understand." he said quietly. "How could she keep that from us?"

Lily shrugged, "She's good at keeping secrets…I knew, though."

Remus rolled his eyes. "What? Was that obvious as well?" he asked angrily. He was so tired of that girl pretending that she knew everything!

"No." Lily said shortly, "I heard her mumbling in her sleep. Besides, she looked terrible every other Monday. She must have been bitten on a Tuesday."

Sirius' head fell heavily into his hands. He couldn't believe that he'd never even asked her how it happened.

"What?" Remus snapped, "What are you talking about?"

Lily controlled the urge to roll her eyes. "Vampires need blood once a week."

"Then why does she only drink it every other week?" Remus asked irritably, picking up Lily's implications.

Lily didn't have an answer for that. And Sirius wasn't about to tell anybody.

Slowly, Dani began to move. She still cried, but the tears seemed to be working. Her eyes fluttered open at the same time that she transformed human.

"What are you all staring at?" she asked with a touch of frustration.

Remus sighed. "You're a vampire, and I'm a werewolf."

"I'm not a vampire." Dani grumbled stubbornly, "I'm a phoenix."

Lily couldn't contain this eye roll. "We all know that you are both."

Dani shot a harsh look at Sirius, who shook his head vigorously.

"Then who?" she snapped, "Who else knew?"

Lily looked as if something unbelievable had just clicked. "You knew?" Lily asked, her eyes wide.

Sirius sighed. "Yes. Yes, I knew."

Dani plopped her head into her hands. "I suppose that you all think I'm evil, too?" she asked angrily.

"No!" Remus said genuinely. "I couldn't."

"You're still my best friend," Lily said supportively.

Sirius smiled lightly. "You already know that I'm fine with it."

Dani matched his tiny smile. She couldn't believe that they weren't hurling crucifixes at her.

Magic ruled.

When it was out there and people knew about it, it was easier for them to accept other things.

"Only…" Lily said suddenly, "Why don't you need blood every week?"

The vampire sighed. "For one thing, I'm a halfer. For another, I do want blood once a week, but I don't need it."

Lily nodded slowly. "How have you gone all this time without any?" she asked curiously.

Dani grimaced. "I wasn't exactly without any…"

Sirius tried to look inconspicuous, but it seemed to Lily that he was hiding something.

"You?" she gasped, "Dani! You bit him?"

Dani shrugged.

Lily was blown away. "He's a vampire, too? Dani!"

"I'm not," Sirius said hastily. "She's only half."

Dani shot Lily a slightly offended look. "Thanks for that, though…" she muttered. Lily had the good manners to look ashamed of her accusation.

Remus sighed heavily. "Why don't you tell us what happened?"

"Why?" Dani asked plainly. "It's great that you three don't have a problem with this, but it's clear that James does. And the rest of the school does, too."

Sirius shook his head. He still believed that nobody would care. Especially if they knew how hard it was for her sometimes. "Wait," he said suddenly. "Why don't you take blood once a week, if you want it?"

Dani shuddered slightly. "Um…ew."

"What?" Sirius asked, confused. "It's nasty to have some every week, but not every other?" He also really wished that she would drink some then. She would feel so much better, and it would be harder to be ambushed by Slytherins.

"It's disgusting all the time." Dani said sourly, "So I only do it when I have to. When I can't survive without it."

"But you let yourself get sick without it." Sirius pointed out smartly.

Dani didn't want him to be smart just then. She rolled her eyes, and began storming off to her dormitory, but Sirius caught her wrist and spun her around, noting that it was easier than ever to pull her.

"Why do you let yourself get sick?" he asked, his eyes an inch from hers.

"Because." Dani said shortly. "You can't give up that much."

Sirius rolled his eyes. "What's the worst that could happen?"

"If I bite you every week?" Dani asked incredulously, "You'll go unconscious from blood loss!"

"Oh." That was all that Sirius could say.

Remus tilted his head slightly, "Why not take some from us?" he asked, volunteering the not so excited Lily.

Dani rolled her eyes. "Yeah, and involve more people in this that I need to." She snapped.

"Fine." Remus said shortly, "But if you ever need help, I'm there for you. I'm going to sleep." He and Lily both could tell that the couple needed to be alone, so they gracefully took their leaves.

Sirius kept Dani in his strong arms. "I'm not letting you get sick." He said quietly. "What if you took a little bit every hour or something."

Dani shook her head, "Just stop. Sure, there are ways to do it, but I don't want to take that chance."

Sirius dipped his head a little further, and gently kissed her lips.

"Do what you've got to do, but…if you ever want to try…" the offer was there.

Dani nodded, knowing perfectly well that she would never take him up on that offer. It was too dangerous.

Sirius reluctantly let her slip from his arms, up to her dormitory, and thought to himself how wonderful it was that she trusted him.

That may have been as far as her affection went, but that was good enough for him, especially considering how few people held her trust. As far as he knew, her parents, and he were the only ones. Those were the only ones who'd proved that they deserved it.

He sighed before heading up the stairs. It was three in the morning and he had class in a few hours. He had to deal with James in a few hours. And those Slytherins. And what was Dani thinking, running around in those tall, difficult boots? She had to know that that hadn't been a good idea.

He was worried about her. She wasn't used to not being able to do anything that she wanted to. She didn't understand that she wasn't invincible.

(*)*(*)*(*)*(*)

Dani didn't speak as she prepared for bed. Didn't speak as she climbed in beside her cuddly kitten. Didn't speak through breakfast, or even class.

When asked a question by a peer, she ignored them. By a professor, she answered them shortly, then went back to not speaking.

By the end of classes, Sirius was through with her silence. He couldn't handle being ignored by her.

Because she spent most of the day staring at her hands or at the ground, Sirius found himself concentrating on those eyes which he could not see.

Any time that she did look up, they were icy and harsh. The hurt in her eyes was unavoidable, especially with how much time he spent staring at them.

Every deep blue flicker caught his attention.

His heart sped up each time that he thought that maybe that time she would look his way, but she never did.

"Dani!" he exclaimed as loudly as he could, drawing enough attention to them that she couldn't just disappear. But then why was she walking away?

He growled something to himself, then took off running after her. He couldn't figure out where she was going. She ducked into various hidden passages and snuck out a door that led outside. Sirius raced after her, but she seemed to move faster than he could run.

He didn't understand how she ran so fast without so much as breaking a sweat-- and in really uncomfortable clothes, too! He didn't understand how girls functioned in skirts…or why his mind chose that moment to ponder that.

"Dani!" He shouted again, "Get back here!"

Suddenly, she stopped. Sirius continued running and caught up to her quickly.

He was panting heavily, but she seemed completely unfazed.

"What is _with _you?" he snapped, "What's wrong? Everybody's being so nice about everything!"

Dani's gaze was right on his, but it was more like she was looking through him. Like she wasn't really there. Like _he _wasn't really there.

"Dani?" he asked quietly.

There was no answer.

He would've given anything for her to let him hold her. For her to say _anything_.

But she didn't. She continued staring past him in that infuriating way until he grabbed her and kissed her as hard and passionately as he could manage. That seemed to wake her up.

"What the hell are you _doing_?" Dani shrieked.

Sirius glared into her gorgeous eyes. "Must I remind you that I didn't do _anything_?? In fact, I worked very hard to keep your secret!"

"You did _not_!" Dani shouted, "You should have stopped James from telling that story."

"What did you want me to do?" Sirius asked harshly, "Tell James that he'd better stop and consider the feelings of our resident _vampire_??"

Dani's eyes welled up with the tears that she refused to shed. "Why do you say it like that?" she asked, suddenly almost inaudible. "Like I'm some kind of monster because of my dad?"

Sirius let out the breath that he'd been holding for retaliation. He didn't have one anymore. "I don't say it like that."

"Yes you do!" Dani insisted, staring up into his eyes. Her misery and guilt nearly broke his heart. She looked so hurt. "Like I'm some murderer…"

"I know that you aren't, but…" Sirius cut off suddenly. "You're right. I haven't been fair."

Dani was surprised. She didn't so much see the truth in her words. It really wasn't him as much as James who she was angry with.

"I've been terrible to you." Sirius muttered. "I was almost…_proud _that you'd chosen me to help you…" he shook his head. "And I'm sorry."

Dani took his hand. "It's fine. I shouldn't have put you on the spot like that…And I can't thank you enough for helping me."

"I can't thank you enough for trusting me." Sirius said softly, inching forward without her even noticing. Or maybe she knew and just didn't mind.

And then, their lips touched, and Sirius couldn't have been happier that she was kissing him back. Not pushing away or saying harsh things. She liked him.

"Dani?" a voice called from off where they could not see.

"Lily…" Dani whispered against Sirius' lips. But he didn't let her go. "Sirius, I have to go." she muttered.

The red haired girl stumbled through a cloud of vapor that had appeared around the embracing couple.

Sirius had never seen anybody move so fast as Dani did then.

Actually, he didn't really see her. He glanced over to the sound of Lily's voice, and when he looked back, Dani was three feet away from him. He shot her a secretive smile, then turned to her friend.

"Hey, Lils!" he exclaimed, hugging her tightly.

That girl had been avoiding him as well. It seemed that she resented him a little bit for having been told Dani's secret before she was. Actually, it rather confused him why she was searching out the girl who'd kept that secret.

Lily smiled distractedly at him, then over at Dani. "Hey, um…I just wanted to apologize for not saying anything to you last night. It's just…a lot."

Dani shrugged, "No more than I expected…"

The redhead frowned, "You should have been able to expect a lot more from me. I shouldn't have been so surprised…I'm sorry."

"Will everybody stop apologizing?" Dani snapped angrily. "I'm not mad at any of you!"

"But…But…" Sirius looked so confused, his mind seemed stuck on that one word.

"But nothing!" Dani exclaimed, then a smile broke through the frustration on her face. "I guess I'm a little better at keeping my secrets that Remus," she said brightly. "Let's go find him."

Sirius frowned slightly. James had the Marauders Map, which was their only way to find Remus, and it didn't seem like the best idea to seek him out just then. Dani might freak out again.

See, even if she wasn't angry with Lily or Sirius or Remus for listening to the story, or being afraid, she would definitely be angry with James for telling it. Furious, actually.

"Sure," Lily said, cheerful to be forgiven for what she hadn't done. "By the way, that mist stuff is really cool!"

Dani cast a glance around her, "Oh…" she muttered.

She hadn't realized that she'd built a circumference of smoke for she and Sirius. She waved through it with her arms and made her way through, up to the castle.

She wondered suddenly where her dad was, and how he was coping with his own thirst for blood. Surely, he wouldn't resort to his wife…Would he?

A/N-The Twilight Zone theme song just popped into my head…

Review, please!

~Dani


	7. Chapter 7

A/N- Nothing you recognize belongs to me

"…So in the future, please ask me before you call me a murderer." Dani said calmly.

James had listened to her for some time, nodding every few seconds. He did feel badly that he'd accused Dani of being evil. Especially since it was so far from the truth.

"I never meant to call you anything." James said, not looking at all genuine. "It was just a story."

Dani nodded slightly. It had been a long shot trying to speak to him. "I thought so." She said shortly, then she walked away.

James sighed and slumped back in his cushy armchair. Sirius was angry with him. James was expected to take everything back, and apologize profusely.

Surely, that story was far too offensive to be told to anyone. He should never tell it again, just to make sure that he didn't offend anybody who was keeping a huge secret from him and drinking his best friend's blood. Yeah, right.

"What if you told a story about a werewolf killing someone?" Sirius hissed in his ear.

James shot Sirius a look to keep him from going around spouting other people's secrets. "But…That's different!"

"How?" Sirius snapped, "Werewolves and vampires both have terrible reputations, but they can be good friends. Good people!"

James sighed again. "It's just different!"

Had he told a werewolf horror story, he would've felt awful. But he didn't. He honestly didn't understand why everyone was so upset!

Sirius took a long, deep breath, then walked away in the direction that Dani had gone. He wandered around the castle, not wanting to return to the dormitory for the Map. At the same time, though, he didn't want to continue wandering so stupidly. It really just wasn't productive.

He glanced out the window, and saw a cloud of smoke. He smiled knowingly. Quickly, Sirius ran to the nearest exit, and over to the smoky area. He wasn't sure how long Dani would stay in one spot.

He waved his arms in front of his face, trying to make it through the cloud, but the smoke was stubborn. It wouldn't move.

"Dani!" he exclaimed, hoping that she would lift the cloud.

She didn't.

Sirius continued slowly making his way forward, and finally broke through the ring to see Dani kneeling on the ground with her head almost touching her knees. Lily was kneeling on one side of her, rubbing her back slowly, with Remus on her other side.

"Dani?" Sirius gasped, instantly crumbling to his knees. He put a finger under her chin, and gently pulled up to make her look at him.

She wasn't crying, but she was paler than he'd ever seen her. Her dark blue eyes stood out stark against her white skin. She looked bruised under each of her eyes and in the hollows of her cheeks.

She must not have eaten in a long time. Sirius remembered that she hadn't eaten any of the pie before. And what was that concern that she was gaining weight? That was just stupid. She was even thinner now than before she'd come to Hogwarts.

"Dani, love…Come on," He pushed a wrist in front of her mouth. She cringed away. "Sweetheart, you'll feel better…"

"I…I c-can't…" she stuttered under her breath.

Her voice nearly broke Sirius' heart. It was so devastated. So broken. She sounded like her whole world was collapsing.

Lily gently put a hand on Dani's arm, and pulled back gently. Remus saw what she was trying to do and helped her get the girl into a better sitting position.

"Dani?" Lily said quietly, "We're right here for you."

A tear slowly rolled down Dani's cheek. When she lifted her eyes to Sirius', he finally saw how hollow and one-dimensional they were. They didn't swallow him up anymore. They just…stared.

"Come on, darling," Sirius said gently. "Just a little…"

"Don't you understand?" Dani asked almost inaudibly. "I can't…"

Lily and Remus exchanged a glance over her head. They'd let Sirius take this one.

"What is it, angel?" Sirius whispered. He couldn't explain the pet names rolling off of his tongue as if they'd always been there. He just felt a rush of affection and he needed to take care of her.

"If I do, then I'll be the monster…" Dani muttered. Another tear chased the first.

Sirius shook his head. "If you do, you'll come alive…" he whispered.

Dani looked at him with confusion prominently displayed in her eyes.

"I can't explain it, but…after you have a little blood, you look so much more real," Sirius said quietly, "So much happier."

Dani felt another pang of want. She was happier when she didn't have a harsh need for blood. She really didn't know if she could live much longer without it.

"Come on, love…" Sirius whispered. "Take some…"

Dani whimpered. She could practically smell it. Taste it. Moving impossibly fast, her eyes turned a silvery color as she took his wrist quickly in hers, and bit in deep.

Sirius repressed a gasp. That _hurt! _But she couldn't know. If she did, she'd never use him again. After a moment, the pain subsided, and he could pay attention to the fact that she was drinking faster than she ever had before. Was she all right?

Remus and Lily stared at Dani, almost afraid. Had she always had those fangs? And they could've sworn that for a moment, her eyes turned a completely different color. Sirius looked slightly bewildered. Remus was just so glad that Dani was taking care of herself. More glad that Sirius had helped her.

At least five minutes later, which seemed a lot longer in complete silence, Dani pulled away, looking ashamed and embarrassed.

"There you are." Sirius whispered. "There's the Dani I know…"

Dani smiled slightly. "Thank you,"

"Any time," Sirius promised, "And I mean that."

Dani glanced over at Remus and Lily. "I'm sorry you had to see that…" she muttered.

Lily and Remus both shook their heads, and said "Don't be." At the same time.

Sirius smiled, and healed his wrist with a flick of his wand.

Dani stood up quickly. "Somebody's coming…" she muttered.

"What?" Sirius asked, but a few seconds later he heard loud footsteps and heavy breathing. Sirius stepped in front of Dani defensively, ignoring her snort of protest.

James burst through to the clearing, staring around wildly. "What the hell are you doing?" he snapped angrily.

Sirius glared down at James, proud and happy for the first time that he was a full inch and a half taller than his former best friend. "Why do you care?" he asked angrily.

"She's going to turn you into one!" James exclaimed angrily. "You're going to be a vampire!"

Dani made a frustrated noise in the back of her throat. Lily gasped in shock at his stupidity. Remus just stared.

"What?" Sirius snapped. "How could you even _think_ that?"

James clenched his teeth. "Maybe you can be all forgiving and nice, but not all of us can. _Somebody _needs to keep you in reality!"

"Forgiving?" Dani asked quietly, shoving Sirius out of her way to get a better look at James, who stepped back. He was afraid of her. Perfect. "Forgiving? Well, I must say! I thank you for withholding your forgiveness. Certainly, reality would be lost without you! But do me a favor and tell me for what exactly they've forgiven me?"

"For…For…" James stuttered. He hadn't been expecting her to snap back at him like that. "For being a vampire!"

"Yes, because it's _my _fault. Right?" Dani took another step forward. James couldn't step backwards. The suddenly very strong wall of smoke held him in place.

"I don't see another vampire around here!" James said. It appeared that he'd recovered his anger.

Dani was freakishly calm. "May I ask what's wrong with being a vampire?"

James' eyes widened, "You're strolling about like you aren't the social outcast that being one makes you! You're lying to everyone!"

"So am I." Remus said shortly.

"That's different!" James exclaimed. "I've known you for years!"

"So, suddenly I'm not a werewolf?" Remus asked, standing beside Dani defensively. He knew what it felt like to be an outcast for something that you had nothing to do with.

James took a step back as Sirius came to stand on Dani's other side, and Lily beside him. The wall behind him gave, and he was engulfed in smoke.

Dani waited for him to step back up and emerge. He didn't.

"I'm sorry," she said hastily, "I shouldn't have said anything."

Remus pulled her over to him in a tight hug. "Don't even think about it. Anybody who would be such a prat to you for something so stupid isn't a friend of mine."

Dani smiled into his shoulder. He was so sweet!

Sirius tugged Dani out of Remus' arms and into his own. "Are you all right?" he asked sweetly.

She nodded, "I'm fine! I just feel bad that now James will be angry with you."

"Remmie already said it," Lily said calmly, "Anybody who would judge you for that isn't worth the effort."

Dani shook her head against Sirius' chest. "But he's one of your best friends!"

"Not anymore." Sirius said firmly.

Lily smiled, "He's just not worth it, Elle…"

"Elle?" Dani repeated, wrinkling her nose. She could only move a little bit in Sirius' firm hold, but she could pull back enough to look at Lily, who didn't appear confused.

The girl smiled, "Daniel Elizabeth…Elle!" she exclaimed.

Dani shook her head. She actually felt much better. Like she was a part of something. She had people who would help her. People who would stick up for her. People who accepted her for everything. Friends. She'd never had one. Not really, anyways. Nobody that would accept her if they knew.

Remus suddenly laughed. "Why shouldn't you get a nickname!"

The girl raised an eyebrow, "Dani _is _a nickname,"

Sirius shrugged, "A nickname that _everybody_ doesn't use."

"Like Padfoot or Moony!" Lily cheerfully supplied.

"Or Lilikins!" Sirius said happily.

Remus grinned, "Elle…"

Dani smiled. She felt so accepted.

"Come on, love." Sirius said quietly, "It's late."

"No it isn't," Dani argued. In some part of her mind, she loved those nicknames. They gave her a little warm and fuzzy that little else could.

Lily smiled, "I think we should go and get ice cream!" she suggested happily.

The boys were all for it, but Dani held back. It was as if Sirius could read her thoughts.

He kissed her cheek, and looked at her directly in the eyes. "Darling, you are gorgeous. Don't forget that."

Dani blushed lightly, "You know…If I didn't know you, I'd think you were trying to flatter me."

"Why would you think a thing like that?" Sirius asked, completely unfazed.

Sirius managed to convince Dani with that moment that she should go with them to the kitchens for a really offensively large ice cream sundae.

"But what if it melts before we finish it?" Dani asked worriedly.

"It won't." Sirius said distractedly, getting very ready to dive in.

Remus smiled at Lily. "What do you think? Are we up for it?"

Lily smiled back, "Oh, definitely."

"With your help." Sirius said firmly, "Now, go on!"

Dani smiled, and took the first bite of the sundae.

Sirius cheered, and took the second. "Did I mention that this is delicious?"

Lily's smile wouldn't go away. Dani's happiness was contagious. And other people had noticed.

When she liked the way that something sounded or looked or felt, her dark blue eyes would find a charming twinkle. Every student at Hogwarts knew that, and took every opportunity to amuse her. Merlin, they loved to make her sparkle.

About halfway through the sundae, Peter waddled into the kitchens, looking terribly confused.

"Pete!" Sirius exclaimed, "Excellent!"

Peter gave him a confused look. "I'm supposed to come down here, and ask if the two of you still want to be Marauders."

"What?" Sirius barked. Remus was stunned into silence.

The pudgy boy shrugged. "Prongs told me to ask."

Sirius glowered at Peter, even though he knew perfectly well that he hadn't actually done anything.

Lily muttered something that sounded a bit like "Don't shoot the messenger."

"If he wants to be like that, fine." Sirius snapped.

"Sirius!" Remus exclaimed, "Think before you act."

"Lils, why don't we take a walk," Dani suggested.

Lily hastily stood, and followed her out of the kitchens.

"What is that all about?" Dani wondered aloud. "One little argument, and the Marauders are no longer?"

"I don't think you understand." Lily said sadly, "They don't ever fight. Not with James, at least."

Dani rolled her eyes, "So what? He can't handle a little disagreement?"

Lily shrugged, "I won't pretend to understand."

"You realize it's all my fault," Dani said quietly. "If they stop being the Marauders, it'll be my fault…"

Lily didn't say anything for a minute. When she finally did, her voice was forced into a calm, steady tone. "If they let something like this ruin them, then they don't deserve each other's friendship."

Dani sighed. Whether they decided to end their friendship with each other, or end their friendship with Dani, things would be rather awkward in class from then on.

A/N-I don't know where I got that smoke-y fog thing from, but I like it! And, no, Sirius and Dani's relationship isn't hugely discussed because it's not really the biggest thing in their lives. But don't worry, it will be.

~Dani


	8. Chapter 8

Disclaimer: Nothing that you recognize belongs to me.

Dani sat on a couch, looking at a piece of paper but not really seeing it. She was thinking about all that had happened in the last couple weeks.

The Marauders were no more.

That much was obvious.

She didn't know exactly what had happened in the kitchens or in the boys dormitory, but it wasn't good for their friendship with James.

She was worried about that. He who had always had friends was alone. She almost wanted to tell him that it was okay to think that she was a vicious, evil murderer unfit to carry a wand. That way, he'd have his friends back. He'd stop walking the halls as if they would crumble down on him any moment. He'd stop looking at her like she was a devil's minion.

Maybe that was what bothered her the most. Before, he'd thought that she was evil because she was a vampire, but had nothing to stand on. She'd given him a reason to hate vampires. That was her doing.

"Hey, Sweetheart. How's it going?" Sirius asked cheerfully as he sidled in beside her on the couch.

Dani looked over at him, and while she did, Remus plopped down on her other side. Lily perched on the coffee table in front of her.

"Hey, guys," she said cheerfully. It was amazing that as soon as one of them was doing something, the other three did as well. "I was just working on a sort of…Dani Map."

Remus and Sirius exchanged knowing gazes.

"Elle," Remus said with that form of understanding that people use at funerals, "The Marauders Map took us years to complete. You can't hope to make one of your own in the limited time frame before you leave Hogwarts, and it is completely useless."

Dani smiled slightly, "Understood. But I wasn't making it of Hogwarts."

Sirius' frowning expression turned into one of hungry and eager curiosity as he took the papers from her lap. "London?" he gasped, "Dani! That's insane!"

The girl shrugged, "What do you think, Lils?"

Lily thoughtfully plucked the papers from Sirius' disbelieving grasp. "It's interesting…But only Muggles would show up. Everybody else would make their houses unplottable…"

Dani resisted the urge to hug the girl, but only because she still had a few books on her lap. "But what if my map showed unplottable places?"

"You can't," Remus said dejectedly. "That would kind of defeat the purpose of unplottability."

"Unplottability?" Dani repeated with a raised eyebrow, "And I know there's no 'known' spell that could do it, but what if we made one?"

Sirius couldn't get past his frown, "What if it got into the wrong hands?"

Lily nodded, "What if Voldemort used it and tracked down all the people who were hiding from him?"

Dani shrugged, "It was just an idea," she said sullenly.

Sirius sighed. He hated that the twinkle in her eye was gone.

"Let's go get cupcakes!" Remus suggested cheerfully.

Again, Dani hesitated.

"Do you need me to say it again?" Sirius asked threateningly. Dani's almost fearful eyes raised to his. "You're beautiful. Stop worrying." Dani began to say something, but he cut her off. "Now!" he barked. Dani sarcastically shrank back against Remus.

"Come on," Remus said gently. He swiftly picked her up bridal style, and started towards the Common Room door.

Dani squealed and held onto his neck for dear life. She was positively convinced that he would drop her. She didn't understand how light she was. Especially when she stopped eating for the week before she needed blood.

"Lils?" Sirius said suggestively.

She just laughed, "I think I can walk for myself, thanks."

Sirius shrugged, "Your loss, babe!" then he hurtled out the Common Room after Remus.

Lily dawdled after them, contemplating this change in Sirius and even Remus. It was as if they were substituting herself and Dani for James and Peter. The way that they stuck together through everything, the way they were always so affectionate with each other (In a very masculine way, of course) was transferred over to them.

She heaved a sigh as she found her friends standing in a very menacing way, facing a group of Slytherins and arguing. Loudly.

Dani had been placed on her feet, and she looked as if she'd rather be here than anywhere. She was ready to kick some butt.

"She's a vampire!" one of them yelled.

A cold fear hit Lily in the chest. She could only imagine how terrible it would be for Dani.

"Don't be stupid." Sirius snapped.

"That must be difficult for you, but _do_ try." Remus spat.

Lily wondered silently to herself if she was the James of this group. They were treating Dani a bit like the Peter, protecting her. But, of course, she was a bit of a Remus, with her intelligence, as well. Lily shook her head. She was being stupid, wasting time. She whipped out her wand, and a few silent but dangerous spells later, the main Slytherins were out cold.

"How did she do that?" a stupid fifth year asked, sounding absolutely terrified.

"Who?" Dani asked, "As you can quite clearly see, my wand is not in my hand."

"Wandless magic!" the fifth year's friend gasped.

"I already to told you to stop being stupid." Sirius said heavily.

Remus smirked, "_Really_ try this time."

Woah…Remus smirking? That was usually Sirius or James' place. What the hell was going on?

Lily stepped up. "Or we'll try for you."

The Slytherins scattered off, and Lily had to admit…It was a pretty cool feeling. This was what she'd always snapped at the Marauders about. But she was doing it, too.

"Lils!" Sirius exclaimed, swooping over, and laying a kiss on her cheek. "I thought you weren't coming!"

She shook her head, "It just took me a second."

Come to think of it, having a few girls in the group was working out fine for Sirius, who ordinarily flirted mercilessly with both. Dani completely understood that he didn't have feeling so Lily, so they could be openly affectionate without upsetting his girlfriend. Actually, Dani and Sirius didn't have a title. It made things so much free-er.

"Well, you're not getting away again!" Sirius chirped happily. He linked an arm in hers, and didn't let go until they were all the way in the kitchens.

Dani walked with Remus, who was going on about the Shrieking Shack. Dani had to wonder to herself if the Marauders always spoke so freely. How stupid was the student population not to know Remus' secret? Or the others?

"Cupcakes, cupcakes, cupcakes!!!!" Sirius sang loudly. "We're going to get cupcakes! Cuppiecakes for us!!!!!"

Lily exchanged a glance with Remus and Dani. Sirius was getting hyper.

"Or maybe some carrots," Dani suggested kind heartedly.

Sirius made a face, which lightened almost immediately. "Carrot cake!" He exclaimed giddily.

"Sweetie, do you really need more sugar?" Dani asked cautiously.

"No, of course not." Sirius said sensibly. "But I want it!!!!!"

Lily laughed, "Understood, but do you really want it, or only kind of?"

Remus sighed. It was going to be a long evening.

"Very, very, very, very much!" Sirius whined as they neared the kitchens.

Dani and Lily sighed simultaneously. "Okay," they said heavily at the same time.

Sirius made a strangled happy noise as he darted forward, and attacked the pear in a fit of tickles. He grasped the handle that in no time at all appeared, and bolted into the kitchens.

"Has he always been like this?" Dani asked in wonderment.

Remus shrugged, "More or less," he said cynically, then he entered the kitchens as well.

"Don't feel bad," Sirius was explaining to the House Elves. "We would've come earlier to warn you, but we didn't think of it until now."

The Elf nodded, and scurried away.

"What's going on?" Lily asked cheerfully.

Sirius turned toward her with a sour expression. "They weren't planning to serve cupcakes at the Christmas Feast!"

Dani's eyes widened. "Are…Are you guys staying here for Christmas?" she asked nervously. She didn't want to leave them alone.

Lily shook her head sadly. "My parents want me to go home for the last break before I'm a legal adult."

"It's a full moon over Christmas," Remus said unhappily, "I figured I should give the Shack a break."

"What?" Sirius cried, "I'll be alone??"

Dani sighed lightly, "Maybe you should come to my house," she suggested. It really would be difficult to be away from him for three weeks. Besides, there was no disguising his distress.

"Really?" Sirius gasped.

She shrugged, "I don't see why not. But we should get everybody together for at least a few days."

"Party at Dani's house!" Sirius exclaimed happily.

Dani smiled helplessly. The Elves were back with a huge tray of multi colored cupcakes, with sprinkles and chocolate shavings.

"Hurry up!" Dani urged Sirius, "We're going to miss the carriages!"

"Sorry, sorry!" Sirius said impatiently, "I had to _change_!" Sirius exclaimed. Both were now dressed in Muggle clothes. When Sirius came down the stairs fully dressed in robes, Dani was forced to inform him that they were going to a Muggle area.

They made a mad dash for the last carriage available, and had just managed to cram their trunks and animal cages into it when it took off.

Dani sighed against the seat. "Lils and Remmie are getting us a compartment," she whispered to herself.

She just couldn't seem to relax. Ever since her parents had said that it was okay for Sirius to come for the break, and for Lily and Remus to stay with them the last three days, she'd been uptight and nervous.

What if her dad drank blood right in front of them? What if he bit one of them? What if her mom asked a stupid question? What if they figured out that her friends knew about her? She was a wreck.

Sirius noticed.

"Hey, Tori," he cooed at the little kitten. "Your mommy's nervous that _her_ mommy won't like me. But she shouldn't think about it because I'm bloody charming! Right?"

The kitten made the most sarcastic noise that Sirius had ever heard come out of an animal. He stared at it in disbelief.

"She doesn't know what she's talking about!" Sirius exclaimed.

"Right," Dani said sarcastically.

After Dani and Sirius had found the train compartment that Lily and Remus had gotten for the four of them, James showed up.

"I was just wondering…" he muttered, looking downright ashamed, "If you're coming to my house for break?"

Sirius said, "Uh…No!"

James nodded, then left the compartment.

Remus tried to act unfazed, but it was clear that James' appearance had frazzled him.

"Are you all right?" Lily asked quietly. "You look sick,"

He nodded distractedly, "Sirius?" he said with a strangled voice.

The two of them left the compartment, and didn't come back until after the Trolley Lady had come by.

Dani had bought a good supply of Chocolate Frogs for them to share, and was pigging out with Lily when they came back looking far more cheerful than when they'd left.

Sirius made to sit down, but jumped up with a cry of "OI!"

Lily glared at him and moved Tori from his seat.

Dani sniggered at the hole in the back of Sirius' robes.

He seemed thoroughly disgruntled. He sat down gingerly. Apparently, Tori had defended herself with those lovely dagger-like things at the ends of her paws.

Remus just heaved a sigh. He wasn't as good at hiding his feelings as Sirius was. Actually, seeing the way that he was looking at Dani, maybe he didn't hide his feelings so well.

Lily shoved another Frog into her mouth to help her hold in her own observation concerning Dani. She was nervous. But she wasn't nervous because wizards were going to her house. She was nervous because Sirius was going to her house.

Lily had a theory that Dani liked Sirius a whole lot more than she let on. In fact, if they weren't in love, she'd be surprised. Yes. The way that Dani's eyes flicked to Sirius' just then, as if she had a secret…If that wasn't love, she didn't know what was.

A/N-Yeah! Dani and Sirius forever!!!!

I know that Sirius seems a little harsh towards James, but he just learned that his best friend is someone completely different from who he thought he was. That's enough to make anybody throw a hissy-fit.

~Dani


	9. Chapter 9

After saying goodbye to all of their friends, Dani took off, striding away very quickly. Sirius wasn't sure where she was going, but after a glance back at Remus for help (which he didn't get), he hesitantly followed her.

Dani started for the barrier with Sirius trailing behind her.

She strode out of the train station, and into the sun, towards a powder blue Mustang convertible. Dani chucked their feather light baggage into the magically expanded trunk. She hadn't so much as looked at Sirius since they got off the train.

"Uh…Darling?" Sirius asked as she hopped over the side of the car, into the driver's seat, and buckled her seat belt.

"Hmm?" Dani asked absentmindedly as she checked her mirrors. She felt so right being back in her baby again.

Sirius hesitated, then opened the passenger side door and got in.

"What are you doing? Where are you parents?" Sirius asked cautiously.

Dani shot him a look that made it very clear that she was vastly superior to his stupidity, then slipped in the key and started the car.

"New York." She said obviously.

"Then…Where are we going?" Sirius asked. He felt so stupid for asking, but he kind of had to.

Dani set Tori into his lap, then pushed a few buttons that were sitting innocently next to the radio.

"Home." She said firmly, then she drove away.

Sirius watched his friend as she drove out of London, and into the country in amazement. She looked as if she'd been driving all her life! He instantly wanted to compete.

About an hour into an unpopulated road, Dani pushed a button, and with a huge crack that was at least as loud as a clap of thunder, they were cruising along a completely different stretch of road.

"Uh…Dani?" Sirius asked fearfully.

"Hmm?" She asked, getting rather tired of driving with a passenger.

"Did we just Apparate?"

Dani nodded and continued driving.

Before long, the area became more and more and more populated. Stoplights appeared, and tiny stores popped up everywhere.

They passed a few signs that Sirius didn't pay enough attention to to read. He was busy calming Tori, who was pacing back and forth on the front seat.

Dani took a few shortcuts, trying to avoid as many people as possible. Even in a Muggle disguise, she didn't want to attract too much attention to her car.

Finally, she pulled into the driveway of a small, rather shabby house that seemed to have Chinese restaurants, and clothing stores everywhere around it.

"We're here!" Dani said excitedly. She took Tori from Sirius' lap, and pulled the keys out of the ignition. She shot a nervous smile at Sirius, then strode up to the house as bravely as she could manage.

Yes, she was still a little anxious. She didn't know how her parents would react to Sirius. Or worse, how he would react to them.

Sirius followed her excitedly. He loved new people!

Dani used her keys again to unlock the door. She pushed it open nervously. Sirius watched on with a little bubble of excitement growing inside of him.

The door was green at first sight, but at second glance, it had blue streaks painted all over it. He immediately liked it. It was just like Dani--amazingly outstanding, but not in an obvious way.

"Mom?" Dani called, confused. "Dad? Is anybody here?"

"Daniel!" a woman's voice called from inside.

Dani cringed. She hadn't been called by her full name in months.

She followed the sound of her mother's voice into the living room. She frowned slightly, reaching for the light switch.

Why was it so dark?

Sirius had an idea.

"Surprise!!!!" was screamed from every direction.

Dani beamed. "Oh my god!" she exclaimed. "Hi!!!"

It seemed to Sirius that everybody that she'd ever looked at was present, but in reality, it was only her closer friends. She had quite a lot of those.

A wave of hugs followed, and a good number of questions about Sirius came up.

"Guys?" Dani called. Quiet fell around the crowd like a curtain. She wouldn't ask for their attention during a party unless she had something important to say.

"This is a friend of mine from school…Sirius Black."

A number of girls swooned at the sheepish smile that he sent out into the crowd.

"Girls, be nice." Dani instructed sarcastically.

The notion was indisputably booed.

The crowd subsided hours and hours later, leaving many, many presents behind for Dani, and many, many phone numbers for Sirius.

To be fair, Dani hadn't said that he was hers, but they'd never talked about it, either, so she didn't know if he was.

Dani found her parents as the crowd died down and introduced Sirius formally. He shook her dad's hand, and kissed her mom's cheek as if he'd known them for a long time. They were instantly taken with him. And his British accent was just charming!

Her parents went to sleep, leaving Dani and Sirius alone in a living room full of gifts.

"So…" Dani said quietly to Sirius a few hours into the morning (Think three o'clock). "Want to help me…open presents?" she asked suggestively.

Sirius laughed softly, "Now, now. None of that!"

"Why not?" Dani said with a voice that was the perfect mixture of innocent and alluring. A quiet groan from Sirius, then Dani was being dipped back and kissed deeply.

"Oh, hello, there…" Dani muttered happily against his lips.

Sirius smiled charmingly, and whirled her back up into a standing position, which she took reluctantly.

"Come on, let's go get our stuff out of my car," Dani suggested sleepily.

He smiled, and took her hand, then led the way to her car.

"Did I mention how undeniably hot this car is?" Sirius asked cheerfully.

Dani smiled. "No, but I assumed you thought it was."

She popped the trunk, and Sirius began pulling heavy-looking bags out.

Dani helped him carry the bags up to the house. She took him to the guest bedroom, which was right next door to hers, then climbed onto the bed that was to be his. She sat uncomfortably, thinking about what she was about to bring up.

"So…" she said uncomfortably. "…Are you planning to call any of those girls?"

Sirius' eyes widened, and he nearly dropped his trunk. "No!" He exclaimed. "What about you?"

"What _about _me?" Dani asked innocently, "We've never really talked about this…"

Sirius took her hand out of her lap, and raised it all the way up to his lips. "I don't want anybody else." he said softly, his breath on the back of her hand making her feel a little light-headed.

Dani blushed slightly. "I don't want anybody but you." she said softly.

Sirius leaned forward slightly for a light kiss.

"There." He said, as if the conversation was over. "We've talked about it."

Dani sighed. "No, we haven't." she corrected. "I don't know what I am to you."

Sirius hesitated. That was enough for Dani. She knew what he was going to say, and she couldn't take the devastation that filled her heart because of it.

She slipped off the bed, and down the hall to her own room. She was on the verge of closing the door behind her when it banged open, with Sirius as the culprit.

"Dani," he said very seriously. "I don't want anybody else, because I don't love anybody else."

The breath caught in her throat. "Really?" she whispered.

He nodded nervously.

"I love you, too…" Dani said softly.

Sirius leaned his head back slightly in relief, then whipped it forward, and kissed her, wrapping his arms tightly around her waist. He could easily reach both of his elbows around her. Was that a little bit strange?

"I can't believe I've never told you that…" he muttered against her neck. She felt so right in his arms. How had he not realized?

Dani lifted her head slightly to his shoulder. She softly laid kisses along his neck, and up to his ear, which she could barely reach on her tiptoes. She felt his fingers tighten, and a huge swarm of butterflies swept through her.

Then, he softly kissed her forehead.

"Goodnight," he whispered.

Dani smiled up at him. How was it that he was so perfect?

"Sweet dreams," she whispered back.

One floor up, Dani's father smiled to himself.

His little girl was growing up.

And she was doing a good job.

A/N-Aw. I don't want to toot my own horn, but I'm going to, because I think that chapter is soooo cute!!!

~Dani


End file.
